Naval Battle of Campeche

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Naval Battle of Campeche
Part of Texas-Mexican Wars and Yucatan Rebellion
Date April 30, 1843 and May 16, 1843 Location near Campeche, Mexico Result Draw
Belligerents
Republic of Texas Republic of Yucatan	Mexico
Commanders
Texas Commodore Edwin Ward Moore Yucatan Captain James D. Boylan	Mexican Commodore Tomas Marin Captains Cleaveland, and Charlewood (RN).
Strength
Texan sloop-of-war Austin, Texan brig Wharton, 2 Yucatecan ships and 5 small gunboats	Mexican steamship-of-war Guadalupe, Mexican steamship-of-war Moctezuma,
Casualties and losses
April 30: two dead, three wounded on Wharton May 16: 5 killed, 21 wounded	April 30: 12 of the Moctezuma crew killed, 20 wounded May 16: 18 sailors killed, 35 wounded.

The Naval Battle of Campeche took place on April 30, 1843 and May 16, 1843. The battle featured the most advanced warships of its day, the Mexican steamship-of-war Guadalupe and the equally formidable Moctezuma, commanded by British Royal Navy personnel on loan to the Mexican navy against the flagship of the Texas Navy, the Austin, commanded by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, and the brig Wharton, and a couple of ships from the Republic of Yucatán, commanded by former Texas Navy Captain James D. Boylan. Texas had declared its independence in 1836 but Mexico did not recognize the Republic of Texas. In Yucatán, a similar rebellion had begun and was fought off-and-on from 1836 to 1846.

Commodore Edwin Ward Moore had been waging a campaign against Mexican fishing vessels in the Gulf and disrupting commerce, because it was mistakenly thought in Texas that the Mexicans were planning some type of amphibious assault on Texas in order to retake the rebellious province. During these operations, Moore's fleet lost several ships to open rebellion and mutiny. He could not fully retrofit and rearm his ships when he put in at New Orleans, and the government of Texas refused him any more funds and subsequently ordered him back to Texas so that the fleet could be scrapped or sold. Moore himself mutinied against the Texas government, and disregarding their direct orders, allied himself with the Yucatan government, who at the time was in open rebellion against the tyrannical central Mexican government. The Yucatan government reportedly paid Moore $8000 a month for his services. Moore, now fully funded, set sail to lift the Mexican Naval blockcade of the port of Campeche.

The battle began on April 30, and involved the Texas-Yucatan force that had been attacking and clearing the Gulf of Mexico of small Mexican fishing boats, against a small Mexican squadron which consisted of small sailing ships and one small steamer, the "Regenerator". The initial battle lasted only a few hours and was a draw as both sides retired. After rearming, the Texan ships sailed out and encountered the much stronger Mexican squadron on May 16, which included the modern steamships Guadalupe and the Moctezuma, commanded by British officers and manned by both British and Mexican seamen. After approaching the Mexican fleet with extreme caution and trepidation , Moore engaged the Mexicans and British. After three hours of broadsides, the battle was more or less a draw, with both sides withdrawing after sustaining considerable damage and casualties. The Texans suffered the most physical damage to their ships, while the Mexicans and British suffered slightly more casualties to men. In the aftermath, both sides claimed victory.

The Mexican steamship, "Regenerator" and its battered attendant squadron rejoined the Guadalupe and the Moctezuma flotilla on or about May 19, and in the face of this overwhelming force, the Texas squadron retreated to Galveston. After their return, they were acclaimed as heroes, even though Texas President Sam Houston had declared the ships' captains and crew pirates for sailing to the Bay of Campeche against his wishes. Having fought the superior Mexican squadron to a draw was an admirable achievement for Commodore Moore, whose own principal ships were wholly sail-powered while the Mexican fleet had deployed three modern British built and commanded steam-powered warships, and was perhaps the only bright spot for the inept Lone Star Navy in its operations against the equally inept Mexican Navy, as most of the major sea battles between the two had ended in victories for the Mexicans, including the disastrous taking of the principal Texas schooner and man-of-war, Independence, in 1837.