December 1, 1863

ON LAND AGAIN!

On this day the 16th Ohio, along with the portion of the 69th Indiana that had not been landed the day before on St. Joseph Island, to the west, were finally able to disembark and put their feet on dry land at Decros Point, Matagorda Peninsula, Texas. Pvt. Thomas Linn states:

The 69th Indiana came up this morning on another vessel. Our ship can not cross the bar and the troops go from this vessel to a smaller one to go to the shore. Run in as close to the shore in Carvello Pass as we could and then took to the surf boats run to shore and waded out.

Cpl. Theodore Wolbach more colorfully describes the landing:

...we entered the pass, sounding our way carefully, slowly approaching Decrow's Point, the extreme point of Matagorda Peninsula. A minute after the leadsman had called out 'five fathoms' we felt the ship touch bottom. Then disembarking commenced. Horses were pitched overboard and swam ashore. Men were taken in small boats as near shore as possible, and waded the rest of the way. When we got ashore we found ourselves in a peculiar fix. We staggered like drunken men, and could walk only with our feet far apart. The ground seemed to have the same motion that the ship had. In time we recovered our land legs and were all right again.

Where we landed there had once been a village which was flooded and swept away by the wind tide during a 'norther' in 1854. Two men of that time yet remained--Decrow and Harrison. The former, well up in years, had a couple of his slaves about him. His wealth was principally in cattle and sheep. Harrison was what is commonly called a 'bar-pilot.' He knew the deep water at the entrance of the bay, and when ships, off the bar, signaled for him, he went out and run them in.

Mr. Decrow lived in a large frame house. Gen. Lawler occupied a part of it for headquarters. The members of his staff stayed there or in tents near at hand.

The landing of troops continued industriously; camps were pitched, and after several days a clever little army was together. The land was all sand and sea shell. Some grass grew, but there was much more sage weed and plenty of sand bur. The latter was a bad thing to step on with bare feet. The two families used cistern water for drinking and cooking. Tolerable fair water could be found by digging down a couple of feet in the sand. If we went too deep the water was salty. Fuel for cooking was an important item. The drift along the shore supplied us temporarily.

Note that the Mr. Decro, the man after which the point of land where the regiment set up camp was named after, was still alive and the troops were actually able to meet and converse with the man.

For a more detailed description of what life was like on Decros Point during this time, see Chapter 67 of the Camp and Field articles by Cpl. Wolbach.

The 16th Ohio was now in a position on the east side of Pass Cavallo, across from Fort Esperanza, now under Union control.

Note: It should be understood that this area along the Texas coast is subject to frequent hurricanes and other strong storms which change the topography of the coastal island as the years pass by. Fort Esperanza is now submerged and the exact portions of Decros Point where the 16th Ohio would have camped are unknown and may also be submerged.

Detailed 1984 nautical map showing the approximate route of the 16th Ohio on board the steamship St. Mary and in landing boats on December 1, 1863. The troops landed at Decros Point on Matagorda Peninsula, Texas.

Close view modern day map showing the location of the 16th Ohio on December 1, 1863, at Decros Point, Matagorda Peninsula, Texas.

Blue pin - Decros Point, Matagorda Peninsula, Texas - the place where the 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry landed on December 1, 1863 and would spend many weeks during the winter of 1863 and 1864.

Wide view modern day map showing the location of the 16th Ohio on December 1, 1863, at Decros Point, Matagorda Peninsula, Texas.

Blue pin - Decros Point, Matagorda Peninsula, Texas - the place where the 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry landed on December 1, 1863 and would spend many weeks during the winter of 1863 and 1864.