The Battle of Bayport- April 3, 1863

As the Civil War progressed the Union’s blockade of the Florida shoreline became more effective. In addition, the Confederacy had abandoned the defense of all its deep water ports in the state. As a result blockade running in the South shifted to shallow water harbors like Bayport. Plantations and ranches surrounding Bayport supplied cattle, turpentine from native longleaf pine trees, and lumber. Salt made from sea water, along with beef, cotton and corn, helped support the Confederacy. Bayport became a haven for blockade runners operating between Florida’s gulf coast and Cuba, providing numerous critical war commodities for the Confederate war effort. Between 1862 and 1865, vessels belonging to the Union’s East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron intercepted eleven blockade runners near Bayport. Two attacks targeted Bayport in 1863.

The first, launched on the evening of April 2nd, used seven boats from the Union warships St. Lawrence (2 launches), Sagamore (launch, cutter), and Fort Henry (launch, cutter, and cutter ambulance) under the command of Acting Lieutenant Edward McCauley. Conditions were rough and they needed to anchor at 1:00 AM. Early on the 3rd the group were still two miles from Bayport. The Rebels would have plenty of time to prepare for their arrival. The Confederates ran two small schooners and two small sloops aground up a bayou. Union forces captured a schooner laden with corn, Helen, captured its crew and set it afire. The Confederates burned a large schooner anchored in the main harbor, too large to run up into shallow water, loaded with cotton that was anchored in the harbor. The Federals were under heavy fire from Rebels in rifle pits along the shoreline and a two gun battery. One sailor, John Baptiste, was wounded in the shoulder. The Union boats withdrew after several of their guns became disabled due to broken clamp plates. A map of the battle is shown below.

On September 15th, a Union squadron consisting of a launch from the Fort Henry, and the tenders the Two Sisters, and Annie commanded by Lieutenant Commander A.A. Semmes anchored outside the inner reef of the harbor. As the group moved closer about a mile and a quarter away they could see a side-wheel steamer flying French colors. As they closed to within about 800 yards the Confederates set fire to the steamer and a warehouse close to and in the rear of the battery. The Federals remained for about three hours to make sure the ship and warehouse completely burned before withdrawing.