The Twin Sisters by James V. Woodrick

The Twin Sisters were two identical short iron cannons, field pieces of 6-pounder caliber. They were manufactured in Cincinnati in December, 1835, specifically for use in aiding the Texas revolution. They were delivered to Sam Houston’s Texian army on April 11, 1836, and effectively employed in the Battle of San Jacinto later that month. One accompanied Thomas Rusk and the Texian army in mid-late 1836 as they followed the Mexican army to assure its withdrawal from Texas. After a couple of years in Houston where they were fired in San Jacinto Day celebrations, they were sent to Austin and, after a few years, nearly forgotten. They were last positively recorded in Austin in 1864 where they were reported as being readied to send to San Antonio to accompany Rip Ford and his Texas recruits to repel a Union invasion at Brownsville and Corpus Christi. Ford took six pieces of artillery with him on his campaign; these guns were used with great success in the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last engagement of the Civil War, on May 13, 1865. These guns, likely including the Twin Sisters, stayed in Brownsville and came under control of the occupying Union army. Their fate after this time is unknown. One probable scenario is that they were shipped east with many other Confederate cannons, and there recycled as scrap iron. Two cannons buried in Harrisburg in 1865, long thought to be the Twins, were not. They were originally iron 4-pounders brought to Texas on the schooner Cayuga and unloaded at Galveston in April, 1836 to become the first artillery at Fort Travis. They were later given to the Galveston Artillery Company and mistakenly believed to have been the San Jacinto guns. Over the years several other theories about the Twin Sisters evolved. Some claimed they were made of bronze, others said they were 4pounders. Two cannons recovered from a scrap yard in Louisiana in 1861 were returned to Texas and mistakenly identified as the Twins of San Jacinto fame. This document presents a summary of extensive research into the Twin Sisters by the author. Details of this research including identification of all archival sources used to develop the fascinating history of these guns is available in a book by James Woodrick on amazon.com titled Cannons of the Texas Revolution. On November 17, 1835, a group of Cincinnati businessmen met and heard an appeal by Texas agent Francis Smith for the group to purchase cannon and supporting material to assist the Texas cause. The group came to be known as the Texas Committee, aka. "Friends of Texas." Texas landowner and Cincinnati resident Nicholas Clopper chaired the meeting; he had large landholdings in Texas and thus a financial interest in keeping American settlers in place and new immigrants continuing to flow into Texas. Attorney Robert T. Lytle offered a resolution in support of the Texas movement. It was adopted: “That we approve of and recommend to the citizens of this meeting a plan by which the citizens of Texas shall be supplied through their agent, Mr. Smith, by our contributions, with an amount of hollow ware as he may deem sufficient, to contain other provisions, by which they shall be fulfilled,

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according to his judgement and sound direction”.

The resolution was unanimously adopted and a committee of five were appointed to implement the resolution. The resolution employed code words — “hollow ware” for cannons, and “other provisions” for mounts and ammunition. These were necessary in public documents because at that time the United States adhered to a very strict neutrality standard and could not condone assistance by any Americans to a rebellion within a neighboring country. Two guns were manufactured by the foundry of Hawkins and Tatum in Cincinnati and bored out by the firm of Chase and Semour, all complete by December 30th. Blacksmith and carriage maker Bruncia Cassett built new carriages, which he painted red with blue wheels. By early January the guns had been mounted at Hawkins and Tatum and been hauled to the river dock awaiting shipment. The Eagle Ironworks in Cincinnati, owned by Miles Greenwood, made six barrels of 8-ounce iron canister shot as ammunition to accompany the cannons to Texas. No records of their manufacture are known to exist. After a two month delay due to concerns over their unlawful military nature, they were finally shipped down the rivers to New Orleans, where they were noted by Texas agent William Bryan. He wrote on March 16 to the governor and General Council of Texas: “I have received a letter from Cincinnati Ohio, and with it two Iron field pieces complete excepting harness, presented by the Citizens of Cincinnati, (through W.M. Sorry Chm of Texas Committee Edward Woodruff and Pulaski Smith Esquires) to the government of Texas. I have in the name of the government acknowledged their receipt, and presented them with your thanks for their noble and acceptable donation. At their request Mr. W.C. Ogilvie has the charge of delivering the Guns to the Government. It is also Mr. Ogilvie’s intention to devote himself to the cause of Texas, we have no doubt he will prove a valuable acquisition to the army.”

The guns were sent from New Orleans to Texas on the schooner Pennsylvania; J.M. Allen noted their arrival in Brazoria on about March 30th. Aboard that same schooner were New Orleans resident Charles Rice and his twin daughters Eleanor and Elizabeth, aged eight. Rice was a doctor who later with his family moved to Texas and served as a surgeon in the Texas Navy. The Rice twins were asked to make short speeches presenting the two cannons to Texas, which occurred in Brazoria. Someone reportedly said “There they are, two sets of twin sisters”, meaning the Rice daughters and the two identical cannons. The name stuck. No primary source documenting any speeches by the Rice twins has been found. Some historians believe the naming story may be a latter-day legend, although the account is quite clear in the oral history of the Rice family. The first clearly known use of the term occurred on July 22, 1836, when President Burnet called them the “Twin Sisters” in his acknowledgement letter of that date to the committee in Cincinnati. Sam Houston later referred to them by that name in a speech to the United States Senate on February 28, 1859: “two small six-pounders, presented by the magnanimity of the people of Cincinnati, and subsequently called the “Twin Sisters.”

The cannons were shipped from Brazoria on April 3rd on the Pennyslvania to Galveston, then on the schooner Flash to Morgan’s Point on Galveston Bay. They arrived at New Washington on April 8th, and were immediately dispatched to Harrisburg on the Ohio. They arrived in Harrisburg on April 9th, left by ox cart on April 10th in a group of soldiers under the command of Captain Smith, and arrived at Houston’s army on the Brazos at Groce’s Bernardo plantation on April 11th. En route, B.W. Breeding, in Thomas Chadoin’s company, used his father’s team to extricate them from mud and move them to Bernardo.

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Upon leaving Bernardo on April 14th, oxen owned by Pamelia Mann were used to pull the guns. When she learned that Houston was heading to Harrisburg instead of retreating, she successfully demanded the return of her animals, an incident that caused considerable consternation for Houston and became one of the most revered of stories in all of the lore of the San Jacinto campaign. The cannons were floated across Buffalo Bayou on an old, repaired ferryboat. The Twins were used effectively in both the initial engagement on April 20th, and the decisive battle on April 21st. After the battle, President Burnet sent a letter to the individuals in Cincinnati thanking them for providing the cannons: “The two beautiful pieces of “Hollow Ware” lately presented to us, through your agency, by the citizens of Cincinnati, … have become conspicuous in our struggle for independence. Their first effective operations were in the memorable field of San Jacinto, where they contributed greatly to the achievement of a victory not often paralleled in the annals of war. … Should our enemy have the temerity to renew his attempt to subjugate our delightful country, the voices of the Twin Sisters of Cincinnati will yet send their reverberations beyond the Rio Grande … ”.

The archival records are clear concerning the whereabouts of the Twin Sisters during the years of the Republic of Texas. After San Jacinto, the Twins were briefly separated with one going to Galveston and another going with Thomas Rusk on his shadow campaign following the Mexican Army out of Texas. They were reunited after the Rusk campaign and arrived in Houston on August 13, 1838. George Hockley mentioned them in his October 18, 1839 Ordnance Report: “… The operations of the mechanical part of the Ordnance commenced in the early part of 1838, in a common Blacksmith shop within the precincts of the City of Houston, with the materials only, of such arms as had been taken from the enemy, and others thrown aside as useless, and turned over by men whose term of service had expired. … The Twin Sisters, and other ordnance, remain as given by the last ordnance report, and will be housed so soon as a contract can be made, for the erection of some shed …”.

The Twin Sisters were fired in March of 1839 in Houston in a celebration of the third anniversary of national independence. The Houston newspaper reported: “The celebration of the third anniversary of our national independence was conducted in a very interesting and appropriate manner by our citizens.  A procession was formed at the court house at 12 o'clock, which, under the escort of the Milam Guards, proceeded to the capitol, where an oration was delivered by Judge Thompson, before a very large and respectable audience.  Among those present, we noticed the president and vice president, the heads of the several departments, the honorable Alcee LaBranch and several other distinguished foreigners.  At sunset a national salute was sounded by the "Twin Sisters" in front of the capitol, and the proceedings of the day closed without accident or disturbance of any description.”

The Twins were moved to Austin in 1840, to be used for defense of the newlyfounded capital city. An undated note documents the Twins, and a long list of other artillery accessories, being made ready by Col. William Cooke to ship to Austin: “List of articles belonging to the artillery which will be forwarded with the artillery by Col. Wm. G. Cooke. … 2 (San Jacinto) 6 pounders]”. Cooke was Quartermaster General during early 1840. He was

known by the title of Colonel during that period. Cooke later was a civilian official on the 1841 Santa Fe expedition. This undated record has been erroneously interpreted by some historians as suggesting that the Twins were lost on that expedition. A receipt dated May 2, 1840, records that the shipment of cannons from Houston to Austin arrived at Linn’s Landing on that date. George Hockley, Colonel of Ordnance for the Republic of Texas, filed a report in Austin dated September 30, 1840 to Secretary of War Branch Archer on the status of his bureau. Hockey mentioned an order by President Lamar on February 18, 1840, directing removal of the “artillery, small arms, ammunition and stores” from Houston to Austin. He stated that “the ordnance, stores, etc. were sent by way of Linn's Landing”. Hockey indicated that bad weather delayed the delivery at 3

Austin until late May, and that, in September of 1840:

“the necessary work-shops, storehouses, &c., have been commenced and are partly finished and in use. … The ‘Twin Sisters’ with other artillery, and the necessary ordnance stores &c. are in battery at the Garrison, ready for service. … The orders from the Department of War, issued some [time] since for the protection of the Archives of the Government and of the citizens, in the event of an Indian attack at the buildings occupied as the capitol, were carried out so far as practical. The present Garrison was constructed for the purpose of affording that protection; …”

The crude fortified facilities described by Hockley as the “Garrison” in Austin were constructed adjacent to the first temporary capitol building, located on a hill at today’s Colorado and Eighth Streets. The complex was promptly termed “Lamar’s Folly” by the citizens of Austin. George W. Grover, a resident of Cincinnati visiting the new town of Austin in June of 1840, wrote a letter home describing the emerging capital of Texas, specifically noting his pleasure at seeing the Cincinnati Twins in the Garrison. “I can now give you a description of Austin - while there I judged there were about 100 houses - are several stores - 2 Printing offices, besides the public buildings mostly of which are neat log houses, built like our dwelling the president’s house is a frame of two stories - the House of Representatives is of one story and very large - the latter is fortified in a picketed fort, in them we stayed & had the pleasure of seeing the ‘Twin Sisters’, two cannon from ‘Cincinnati’. These cannon will be looked upon, someday, with the warmest feelings that ever entered the hearts of a brave people - they were the only cannon in - & are said to have gained the day in the battle of San Jacinto. I saw large piles of muskets, Balls, Bombshells, &c., besides a few pieces artillery.” His use of quotations around the word “Twin Sisters” and “Cincinnati” show

that he knew the origin of the guns. How he knew this is unknown, as no original inscription could have included the name Twin Sisters. Later a permanent arsenal was built some distance from downtown Austin. On April 21, 1841, the Twins were fired in an Austin celebration of the fifth anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto. Later that year in Austin the Twins were fired during Sam Houston’s inaugural ceremonies when he kissed the Bible after taking the oath of office. A letter dated September, 1841 specifically indicates their presence in Austin: “… [other cannons] are at the arsenal with the Twin Sisters and other ordnance, all in good order but the artillery carriages and wheels suffer materially from Continual exposure to the weather, and will eventually be rendered useless unless sheds are erected for their protection.” Significant deterioration of the

carriages of the Twins was already being noted; they had been outside and exposed to the weather for several years due to lack of a suitable storage shed. 1842 was another turbulent year for the nascent nation. Mexican soldiers advanced into Texas in March and seized San Antonio. George Hockley in Austin reported to President Houston that he thought they would soon march to Austin. He declared martial law and took immediate steps to defend the city, including placing the Twin Sisters on top of President’s Hill, aiming them south to protect the river crossings. The hill on which the president’s house was situated is the block today bounded by San Jacinto, Brazos, Seventh and Eighth Streets. The Mexicans did not come to Austin and instead promptly returned home, but the threat gave Houston a reason to precipitate an attempt to move the capital out of Austin, eventually, he hoped, to his namesake city. On March 10th he ordered Hockley to move the archives to Washington (-on-the-Brazos). This stirred up a hornet’s nest in Austin, leading to what became known as the Archives War. Locals took control of the arsenal and pulled one piece of artillery to Sixth and Congress, to be kept loaded and ready to repel anyone attempting to attack the city or remove the archives. Upon 4

Houston’s orders, such an attempt was made at dawn on December 30, 1842, when boxes from the Land Office were loaded into wagons by Houston supporters. Angelina Eberly noticed the activity and fired the cannon in alarm, which awakened the populace and caused a successful pursuit to regain the records, saving the capital location for Austin. The Twins were on hand in Austin at that time, but records indicate that Angelina fired a bronze six-pounder; the Twins were iron. An inventory of Texan artillery at the end of September of 1843 indicated that two iron 6-pounders, the Twins, were still in Austin. Statement of Arms and Ammunition on Hand on 30th September, 1843. Cannons at Austin Arsenal: “One 14 pdr. Mexican Trophy, brass, not mounted.” “Two 24” howitzers, unserviceable” “One 6-pdr. Brass, mounted, good order” [the one fired by Angelina Eberly] “Two 6-pdrs. Iron, mounted, good order.” [the Twin Sisters] Cannons at Houston Arsenal: “Two 6-pdr. brass. mounted, in good order” “Two 4-pdr. Iron, Mounted, in good order [the Cayuga twins] Cannons at Nashville: “One 6-pdr. brass, mounted, in good order” Cannons at Galveston: “Four 32-pdr., short, bad order, not mounted” “Four 18-pdr., short, good order, mounted” “Seven 18 pdr. Long, bad order, not mounted” “One 9 in. Howitzer, unserviceable” “Four 12-pdr. Iron, Cannonades, mounted, good order” “One 9-pdr. Brass, mounted, good order” “Two 6-pdr. Brass, mounted, good order” “Four 6-pdr. iron, not mounted “Three 4-pdrs, iron, not mounted”

The two iron 4-pounders noted at the Houston arsenal were likely the Cayuga guns that had been recovered from Fort Travis, renovated by a Houston blacksmith earlier that year, and later transferred to the Galveston Artillery Company. Fort Travis had been badly damaged by a storm the previous year. Members of the Galveston Artillery Company helped in its repair, during which the two Cayuga guns were dug from the mud. They were later sent to Houston for repair, and then given by the Republic of Texas to the Galveston Artillery Company. These were later erroneously touted by the Galveston Artillery Company as being the Twin Sisters. The invoice from blacksmith Fredrick Schierman at the Houston Arsenal was primarily for making the iron accessories for the newly-constructed carriages, although some cannon repair is also indicated: “Contingent Funds of the Ordnance Department of the Republic of Texas. 1843 March 24 To fabricating two 4 Pdr Tompions [muzzle plugs], two gun carriage tongues, two iron hammer bolts, two iron bands for hubs, two Bracole washer hooks, one lynch pin, one trail handspike & iron, sundry repairs of guns & wooden parts of the twin sisters and their appointments complete, painting the gun carriages. Total amt. $35.0 in par funds. Total amount in exchequers at 60 cts. $58.33.” Certified by Benjamin O. Payn, Captain of Ordnance.” Why Schierman thought they were the Twins is not known. Perhaps he was

instructed to make new carriage plaques so stating.

The terms of Texas’ 1845 annexation to the United States required that the state cede military and other property to the federal government: "Said State, when admitted into the Union, after ceding to the United States, all public edifices, fortifications, barracks, ports and harbors, navy and navy-yards, docks, magazines, arms, armaments, and all other property and means pertaining to the public defence belonging to the said Republic of Texas.” Much of the artillery and other

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munitions in Galveston and Houston were moved out of Texas; some went to Baton Rouge. These moves took place after the end of the Mexican-American War, around 1849. The Twins, and several other pieces of artillery in San Antonio, Houston and Galveston were not removed. Some historians theorize that the Twins were declared historical icons and allowed to remain in Texas; no record has been found that supports this. It is not surprising that some of the Texas artillery was allowed to stay in the state. The order said that all arms were to be ceded to the federal government. This did not mean that all were to be taken out of the state. Artillery would still be needed in Texas, for the usual military and defense purposes. The change was that they were to be in the hands of federal troops, not Republic of Texas troops as before. In remote locations like Austin and San Antonio, it seems very likely that the decision would have been to allow the artillery already there, necessary for the city’s protection, to remain, and to simply transfer ownership to Federal authorities whenever they arrived and took over local military activities. It would have made no sense to haul cannons from Austin to Houston for export east, then turn right around and haul more back because they were needed for defense against possible Mexican or Indian attack. Much of the artillery in Texas was removed during this period, because the many cannons acquired during and after the revolution, particularly at Galveston, were no longer necessary. Texans were indignant about it. Governor Francis Lubbock noted that ownership of the guns was transferred to the Federal government; he was one of those who erroneously thought the Twin Sisters were among the guns removed: “By the terms of annexation Texas ceded to the United States her public edifices, navy, ports, arms, and armaments. In this delicate matter I understand Lieut. W. A. Tennison, of our navy, was agent for Texas, and that Hiram G. Runnels represented the United States. Among other arms transferred were the "Twin Sisters," the two cannon used at San Jacinto.” Historian/author Henderson Yoakum repeated the rumor that

the Twins were sent to Louisiana:

“It is said the Twin Sisters are now at Baton Rouge, in the service of the United States. Texas ought to have them, and could doubtless obtain them by asking.”.

It was during the 1840s, with the restoration of the two Cayuga 4-pounders in 1842 and the transfer of the cannons some thought were the Twins to Louisiana in 1849 - that the story diverges and conflicting accounts begin. Specific Texan records diminish, as the artillery was now under control of Federal instead of Texas troops. There were at least six pairs of cannons that arrived in Texas in 1836 or 1837 that were apparently thought by various individuals thirty or more years later to have been the guns used at San Jacinto. The Cincinnati Twins were the iron 6-pounders actually used at San Jacinto. The Cayuga Twins were iron 4-pounders that were unloaded from a boat of that name at Fort Travis in April, 1836 and later given to the Galveston Artillery Company. The Havana Twins were two bronze nine-pounder cannons given to Texas by the ladies of Havana. The Green Twins, two brass sixpounders, were brought to Velasco in late May, 1836 and used by Thomas Green and the Texas army. The two pair of Chambers Twins were iron six-pounders obtained by Thomas Chambers and delivered to Texas in late 1836 or 1837. The LA Twins were two of the Chambers iron six-pounders sent to Louisiana around 1849 and erroneously identified there as being the Cincinnati Twins when they were refurbished and returned to Texas in 1861. There were only three original early pairs of iron 6-pounders still around by 1862 - the Cincinnati Twins and the two pair of Chambers Twins. The Cayuga Twins were 6

bored to become 6-pounders in 1860. The Cincinnati Twins and one pair of the Chambers Twins were in Austin and San Antonio in the 1850s through 1863; the other Chambers pair and the Cayuga Twins were in the Galveston - Houston area during most of the 1840s. Around 1849 the Chambers pair were sent to Louisiana and the Cayuga Twins stayed in Galveston/Houston. During the 1850s to 1862 cannons believed to have been the Twin Sisters were fired in celebrations in the area. These could only have been the Cayuga Twins because none of the other possibilities were in that area during that period. In 1861 the LA Twins returned to Galveston. They were probably moved to the mainland in October of 1862 when the Confederates surrendered Galveston Island to Federal forces. When the island was returned three months later, the LA Twins probably stayed on the mainland, as by that time many larger guns more appropriate for port defense were available from the Union armament surrendered at Brazos Santiago. During the 1840s and 1850s, beliefs among the Texans as to the fate of the Cincinnati Twins were not in agreement. The Galveston Artillery Company proudly promoted their Cayuga Twins as the real McCoy, and may have even placed brass plaques on their carriages to so signify. Others were convinced that the Chambers Twins which were sent to Louisiana in 1849 were the San Jacinto guns. When the LA Twins returned in 1861 the feud continued; these guns now had a carriage plaque added in Louisiana that stated they were the famous San Jacinto guns. Benjamin McCulloch, a future Confederate general who had served on the gun crew at San Jacinto, in 1860 initiated the return of what he thought were the Twins back from oblivion. McCullough was one of those who thought the Chambers guns sent to Louisiana were the real Twins. He had served in the artillery command at San Jacinto, and knew they were iron 6-pounders. The Civil War had not yet begun, but many saw it coming and began preparing for the seemingly inevitable conflict. McCulloch, recalling his service with the Twin Sisters at San Jacinto, thought that these guns should once again be on Texas soil. He wrote to then-Governor Sam Houston, informing him of the presumed current status of the Twins and asking for help in retrieving them. Houston agreed and wrote to the United States secretary of war asking for the return of the Twins. “I have been advised by Major Ben McCollouch, that two six pounder cannon used at San Jacinto against Santa Anna in 1836, called by us the twin ‘twin sisters’ [sic] can be obtained from the War Department in lieu of other arms due the State of Texas at their appraised value. It is a matter of pride with the State, and particularly those who participated in the battle of San Jacinto, to procure those arms for the State. They should never have been given up by the State in the treaty of annexation. They are worthless to the Genl. Government but would be highly prized by the State as a relic of her revolution. I request the government through you to make to the State of Texas a donation of these guns. Should this request be incompatible with the usage of the Government, please turn the guns over to the State at their appraised value as above suggested and I will feel gratified.” Before action could be taken on this matter, however,

Texas had seceded from the Union. The Texas Secession Convention appointed a commission to ask Louisiana for the return of the Twin Sisters. George Williamson, commissioner for Louisiana to the state of Texas, determined that one of the guns was still at the Hill and Markham foundry in Baton Rouge, although in poor condition, and that the other had been bought by Joseph Porter, a private citizen of St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish. Having found the cannons sent from Texas, Williamson asked the Louisiana legislature to purchase and repair them before presenting them to 7

the state of Texas. The Louisiana legislature passed an appropriation of $700 to "procure the guns, mount the same in a handsome manner," and forward them to Texas. They were confirmed to be iron six-pounders, matching the earlier identification. They were restored and remounted, with a plaque on the carriage stating they were gifts to Texas from Louisiana. There is no indication that these guns had any markings on them identifying them as being gifts of Cincinnati. These guns arrived in Galveston on April 16, 1861, in time for the twenty-fifth anniversary of their original firing, and were mentioned by Sidney Sherman a month later; they may have participated in the first battle of Galveston in October of 1862. After the war the LA Twins were noted by M.A. Sweetman in Houston in July, 1865. They were shipped east by occupying Union forces, as evidenced by one of the original brass carriage plaques having been found in New York. A newspaper article telling of the plaque’s return to Texas cited the inscription as: ‘This gun was used with terrible effect at the battle of San Jacinto. Presented to the State of Texas by the State of Louisiana March 4, 1861. Committee of Presentation: Henry W. Allen, Charles A. Brusie, William G. Austin.’ This article also noted

the history of the Twins, repeating the erroneous theory that that had been sent to Louisiana but correctly stating their last known presence in Austin in 1863: “The ‘Twin Sisters’ were originally two brass cannon presented to the Republic of Texas by the city of Cincinnati, and after Texas won her independence from Mexico they were brought to the city of Austin. Later, they were taken to Baton Rouge. LA., and for as long period were lost. They were finally recovered and presented to the State of Texas by the State of Louisiana. As far as records go, the last location of the historic guns was in a camp at or near Austin. That was in 1863. In recent years search has been made all over the country for the ‘Twin Sisters.”

The Cincinnati Twins never left Texas before the Civil War. They remained in Austin from 1840 to 1864. Turmoil existed in Texas in late 1863. The first threat came from the east, when Union General Nathaniel Banks was in Louisiana with thousands of soldiers, headed for Texas. This was averted, only to see the Union forces turn to a coastal invasion of Texas. Confederate leadership assumed the enemy would advance inland with far more forces than available for defense, and began making plans to evacuate vulnerable locations such as Brownsville, Corpus Christi and even San Antonio. Federal troops landed at Brazos Santiago on November 2nd, and Confederate Brigadier General Hamilton P. Bee left Fort Brown in “smoky ruins” on November 4th, and retreated east. During this fallback, Bee had the two Chambers howitzers sent back to the railhead at Alleyton, from where they apparently went to Houston. San Antonio was prepared for evacuation and military goods were sent east, including all artillery. Major A.G. Dickinson, in charge at San Antonio, was ordered to build fortifications to enable the defense of that city. He stated on November 16th that he had no artillery of any kind, light or heavy, to be used to defend the city. He was told that he would be sent some artillery, but none could be spared at that time. Bee had moved to Corpus Christi but was forced to retreat toward Victoria as Union troops advanced on Corpus Christi. Supporting him occupied most of the available Confederate resources; Dickinson would have to make do in his defensive preparations with what he could find in Austin and San Antonio. On November 30, Dickinson reported that he had one “mortar”, but had no ammunition as it had all been sent to Houston. He also reported that the Twin Sisters were in Austin: “The Twin Sisters, I am informed, are at or in a camp in the vicinity of Austin. They are in a deplorable condition, and I am fearful could not be used. Colonel Ford, commandant of conscripts, can, however, give all necessary information in regard to them.”

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Confederate forces continued to pull back from coastal regions during December as Corpus Christi, Matagorda Bay and Galveston were taken by Union troops. General John Magruder on December 21st ordered that no cotton should be moved beyond the Colorado, and all ordnance stores at San Antonio, except small quantities for immediate use, to be sent east of the Colorado river. No significant Union advance inland occurred on the upper coast; however, in south Texas Federal troops ranged below the Nueces River to procure cattle for provisions. Cotton exports were the main financial resources of the Confederacy and often cotton was used in payment for military supplies. Transportation routes to Mexico were vital for this trade. The primary destination before 1863 was Brownsville - from there over the Rio Grande to Matamoros, then shipped from Baghdad, a crude port at the mouth of the river. The Union invasion of the lower Rio Grande shut off this route, forcing cotton shipments into a much longer route through Laredo. Even this route became threatened, and forced a Confederate response to avoid losing this critical financial lifeline. General Magruder on December 20th requested Gov. Pendleton to make John Salmon “Rip” Ford, then in the state troops in Austin, available to be put in charge of all western forces. This was made official on December 27th. Ford was already active on that date, when he wrote from San Antonio on December 29th: “Four pieces of artillery are here. They were transported here by an insufficient number of horses, and are not manned. In the event the major-general commanding wishes me to take them to the front, I would respectfully request him to assign for duty with me at least two good artillery officers and an ordnance officer.”

Captain Cater had arrived with the artillery from Austin where it had been sent earlier from San Antonio as that city was being evacuated in November. No more artillery could be spared from the coastal defense effort. There were two pieces still in Austin that could be utilized. On February 5th, Ford wrote that “the howitzers at Austin will be here shortly”. Ford was apparently referring to the Twin Sisters; on other occasions he used the term “howitzers” when referring to regular short cannons, as did many other military men at that time. There were no known true howitzers in Austin at this time. On February 8th, 1864, Lt. Walter W. Blow wrote to Ford, who was preparing an expedition to recapture the lower Rio Grande from invading federal troops, that he was preparing to send the Twin Sisters to San Antonio so that they could accompany Ford's command. On February 12th, Ford reported that “Lieutenant Blow is at Austin; he will bring the pieces.” On February 28th, Ford reported that he was preparing to move to the front, that he had placed Captain Cotton’s company on temporary artillery duty, and that “We expect the pieces, ammunition, &c. from Austin tomorrow.” These “pieces” appear to have been the Twin Sisters. There were now six cannons in San Antonio that would accompany Ford. Blow's February 1864 report is the last known official and certain mention of the Twin Sisters, then in Austin. From that point on, the trace becomes less certain as no known records specifically mention the Twins with Ford. However, there is sufficient information to strongly suggest that the Twins did accompany Ford, may have been used in the last battle of the Civil War at Palmito Ranch, and ended up at Fort Brown in June of 1865, where they came under control of the occupying Union Army. Ford departed San Antonio on March 18th, and by March 22nd was on the road at Banquete, just south of San Patricio, where he reported that he had 1,000 men, and 9

“We have two pieces here, and I have ordered Captain Christmas to move others to the front as soon as he can.” H.H. Christmas had been in Austin and now was at San Antonio, preparing the

rest of the artillery for transport. Lt. C.B. Gardiner of Capt. Cater’s brigade commanded the artillery unit; the two pieces were likely the Twins, as they had just been moved from Austin, presumably mounted. Ford soon moved to San Fernando, a camp near the King Ranch headquarters on the road from there to Corpus Christi. The rest of the artillery under Christmas arrived and remained at San Fernando, where there was still a strong threat of Union forces advancing from Corpus Christi. Ford reported significant problems securing men willing to serve in the artillery unit, both in San Antonio and at San Fernando, and delays were created when unsecured horses strayed away during the night, or left entirely. Ford and a portion of his command left San Fernando and rapidly moved toward the Rio Grande. Other units in his command remained at San Fernando, or moved over different routes at a different pace. Ford reached Laredo on April 17th, on which date Gardiner and his artillery unit was 52 miles away at Los Angeles. From Laredo, Ford moved down river to Rio Grande City and occupied Ringgold Barracks on May 4th. Here he established the headquarters of his Expeditionary Force and consolidated all of his men on the Rio Grande. A large group, apparently with the artillery, was still at San Fernando. Many men mustered out there, and many did not want to join Ford. Ford reported on June 15th that he planned to move 700 men to Arroyo Colorado and leave the remaining 600 at Ringgold. He still did not have his artillery. On July 2nd Ford wrote an irate latter to Chief of Staff Slaughter, complaining about the lack of reinforcements from San Fernando, including the artillery: “I learn that several companies at the San Fernando have refused to consolidate and gone home. They are horses from the citizens. … why is it that Captain Christmas is allowed to go west by me; also why I am deprived of two pieces under Lieutenant Gardiner was promised the cooperation of Major Dickinson and was deprived of his

reported to have stolen many east after having been ordered at a time I need them badly? I services.” All six of the

cannons Ford thought were under his command had been sent back to San Antonio. Ford moved out of Ringgold Barracks on July 19th, headed down river toward Brownsville. He reported: “We had no artillery. The whole force was mounted.” As he approached Brownsville, the Federal forces there retreated across the river on July 29th without a fight. Ford rode into Brownsville on July 30th and occupied Fort Brown, saying “We had not a single piece of artillery to place in it for defense.” He still lacked artillery on August 26, when he wrote, describing local affairs: “If I had artillery I would attack their [Union] works.”

On Sept. 3rd, Ford reported that the Federals were still on Brazos Santiago with 1,200 men, French forces held Baghdad, and the American counsel was trying to get Juan Cortina to cross the river and engage the Confederates: “The condition of affairs here requires the forwarding of two batteries of artillery, one heavy and one light.” Three days letter he continued his plea for artillery in a letter to Brig. Gen. J.E. Slaughter, Chief of Staff at Houston: “I would impress upon the major general commanding to send artillery to this point immediately. Brig. Gen. Drayton is en route for the Rio Grande”. Juan Cortina was expected to attack momentarily, then join with the Federal troops on Brazos Santiago. General Thomas Drayton arrived on September 10th. The next day Drayton ordered Captain Scott’s company from San Antonio to escort Capt. O. G. Jones’ light battery in a forced march from San Antonio to Brownsville. Drayton reported on the 15th that the Union forces had been driven back to Brazos Santiago: “Had we had two 10

pieces of light artillery the repulse of the Yankees and the Mexicans would have been much more decisive and sooner accomplished.” A report from San Antonio on September 25th said: “Captain Jones’ light battery being in a very crippled condition an order for the impressment of horses and harness was issued, as the Texas arsenal could not supply the wants of the battery. Lieutenant Evans, with a section of Capt. Jones’ battery, leaves tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock to move as rapidly by forced marches to Brownsville, via King’s ranch, as practicable. The section has two pieces of artillery, one of which is a Dahlgren rifle piece. This is the only section that is serviceable in the whole six-gun battery. The remainder of the battery will move as soon as the battery harness can be repaired, as it cannot be procured otherwise. A detachment of twenty men and two non-commissioned officers leave tomorrow as an escort to Lt. Evans section of artillery. The necessity of pushing artillery forward to the front is most sensibly felt, and everything will be hurried off as soon as practicable.” The Twin Sisters were going to the Rio

Grande, after they were repaired and made serviceable. By the end of September, Cortina and Ford made an agreement to resume peaceful relations. Mejia and Drayton had a friendly meeting in Matamoros. The six pieces of artillery arrived in October, and the official troop returns for the months of October and November show Capt. O.G. Jones at Ft. Brown with six cannons. The force report at the end of December listed the Seventh Brigade under Brig. Gen. Slaughter including Ford’s Cavalry Command (1,144 men) and Jones’ light battery with 6 field pieces. On May 12, 1865, a month after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox but not yet known on the Rio Grande, Union troops crossed the river and were engaged by Ford’s troops in the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last conflict of the Civil War, resoundingly won by Ford and his Texans. According to Ford in his memoirs, “Ford remained at Fort Brown until 11 o’clock, and moved with a small body of men and 6 field pieces. He reached the battle field about 3 o’clock P.M. His small force was hidden by almost the small trees. He made his dispositions of about 300 Texans, and at once attacked the Federals.” Ford directed Captain Jones

to place one section of his battery in the road under Lieutenant Smith, another under William Gregory on the left, and a third in reserve. The Confederate guns began firing before their opponents even knew that had artillery. The Union promptly retreated, with Ford’s artillery in rapid pursuit for some seven miles before the battle ended with the Texans winning a resounding victory. Soon after the battle, Ford learned of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. He and his men decided it was not worth continuing to fight when the rest of the South had succumbed, so they returned to Austin. His artillery was presumably left at Fort Brown, where it was taken up by Federal troops. There is no trace of these guns after this time. Union occupying forces would have had little emotional interest in the worn-out guns, even if they knew their past. A credible case can be made that the famed Twin Sisters ended their service in Brownsville, Texas. Like so many other Confederate cannons after the war, they were probably shipped east into oblivion and ultimately recycled. Interest in relocating the Twins began in the late 1800’s. Several conflicting accounts regarding the fate of the Twins were recorded in newspapers and in books during the early 1900’s, including those by: * C.S. Mitchell, a grandson of Elizabeth Rice, one of the twin girls who inspired the name for the guns. * William P. Hamblen, a Confederate veteran who later became a judge in Houston and erroneously claimed to have seen the Twins in the 1860s. 11

* Henry North Graves, a Confederate veteran who was one of a group who garrisoned Galveston Island during the latter part of the Civil War. As the war ended, Graves and four other men got off the train from Galveston in Harrisburg and noted a group of cannons nearby. Among them were two they erroneously identified as the Twin Sisters. They buried them to keep them from coming into the hands of the Federals. * Jesse Ziegler, Galveston resident and author of Wave in the Gulf. * Joseph Dyer, Galveston resident whose father was with the Texian army in late 1836 and erroneously reported seeing the Twins. Dyer wrote “The Old Artillery Company of Galveston”. * Samuel Oliver Young, Houston resident and author of True Stories of Old Houston and Houstonians, who claimed to have seen the Twins in the 1860s. * Matthew Whilden, editor of the Galveston News. * Luke Falvel, captain of the schooner Flash in 1836, who claimed to have unpacked the Twins upon their arrival in Texas. * M.A. Sweetman, soldier in the Union army who was quartered in downtown Houston in late July, 1865 and there accurately noted the LA Twins and the Chambers Howitzers. * Ben Stuart, newspaper editor who wrote articles about the Twins. * Mamie Cox, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle who wrote several articles about Henry North Graves and his search to find the guns he had buried. An exhaustive search was made to locate the Twin Sisters in 1909 and 1910 by W.C. Day, the San Jacinto park superintendent. His efforts were almost completely negative: “I have received nearly one hundred letters, placing them in nearly as many different places, extending from Washington, D.C. to Santa Fe, N.M. Some of them are made of brass and some of iron, with all sorts of inscriptions. They have been buried in whole, and in part; have been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico; resurrected from the Colorado River; discovered in some Louisiana bayou; have been found in the navy yard in Washington; and have petrified on the plains of New Mexico.”

Over the years many people have spent much time in trying to locate the resting place of the guns buried by Graves, all to no avail. The first advanced searches were made in the mid-1980’s by groups who used large earthmoving equipment to dig in several sites that had been identified as promising based on extensive research. Their efforts were recorded by Ken Hammond of the Houston Chronicle. Hammond wove a fascinating tale of the search by this group of treasure hunters, but in the end no cannons were found. Treasure hunter and author Clive Cussler and his organization, National Underwater and Marine Agency, conducted extensive searches of the Harrisburg area in 1987 and 1988. Again, no cannons were found. Interest in finding the buried Harrisburg cannons continued. Charles Barnes and others searched the land area near the railroad depot in the late 1980s using oil field drilling technology and an instrument placed down several drilled holes on the railroad property. The sensor, a downhole magnetometer, was designed to detect the bottom of the drill stem far underground to help guide purposeful off-vertical drilling. Later a modern deep-seeking magnetometer was used that should have easily found a deeply buried iron cannon. Significant “noise” from buried junk and nearby electrical equipment

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hampered their ability to obtain a clean signal from the magnetometers. Nothing was found in either search. In 2011 a non-profit organization called the Expedition for the Twin Sisters, Inc. was chartered by Barnes and others. Extensive archival research was conducted to identify the likely areas in which the cannons had been buried. Funds were raised and an intensive search was conducted using an even more advanced magnetometer over the likely burial sites; no cannons were found.

Timeline: Twin Sisters and “Thought-to-be’s” Note: The “Thought-to-be’s” are indicated in italics so as not to be confused with the real Twin Sisters.

November 17, 1835

Cincinnati “Friends of Texas” authorize their manufacture.

December, 1835

Cast and mounted by Hawkins and Tatum foundry in Cincinnati. Bored out by Chase and Semour, carriages by Bruncia Cassett.

January, February 1836

Waiting on dock in Cincinnati.

March 16, 1836

Arrived in New Orleans.

March 30, 1836

Arrived in Texas at Brazoria. Reshipped to Galveston, then to Morgan’s Point, then to Harrisburg. Hauled overland by B.W. Breeding with oxen.

April 11, 1836

Arrived at Bernardo plantation and joined Texas army.

April 20 & 21

Fired in battle at San Jacinto.

late April, 1836

Two iron 4-pounders unloaded from schooner Cayuga at Galveston and set up in Fort Travis.

May, 1836

One sent to Galveston, the other on Rusk’s campaign to shadow the withdrawing Mexican Army.

ca. January, 1837

Six new Chambers cannons arrive in Texas, including two iron howitzers and four iron 6-pounders. The howitzers had an inscription on the barrel saying they were given by Chambers to the Republic of Texas. The 6-pounders had carriage plaques stating the same but nothing on the barrels.

October 1838

Both arrived at temporary armory in Houston.

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March 2, 1839

Fired in Houston on Texas Independence Day

1840

Moved to Austin, arriving in May

April 21, 1841

Fired in Austin on the 5th anniversary of San Jacinto

December, 1841

Fired in Austin to commemorate Houston’s re-election

May, 1842

Set up to defend Austin from threatened Mexican attack.

late 1842

Fort Travis at Galveston rebuilt after being destroyed by a hurricane. The two Cayuga guns thought to have been the Twin Sisters were recovered by and given to the Galveston Artillery Company.

March, 1843

Two 4-pounders refurbished by a Houston blacksmith who reported them as the Twins Sisters. Ironwork for new carriages made by the blacksmith. New brass identification plaques probably attached, saying they were presented by the citizens of Cincinnati to the Republic of Texas, 1836. Paid for by the Republic, probably part of the gift to the Galveston Artillery Company of the Cayuga Twins.

1849

Some Republic of Texas artillery removed from Galveston to New Orleans armory. Some Texans believed the Twins to be among these. Did not include the Cayuga Twins as these were owned by the Galveston Artillery Company. Did include two of the Chambers Twins.

October 20, 1849

Austin newspaper laments removal of cannons used to defend Galveston, asks whereabouts of Twin Sisters.

April 1853

One gun reported as a Twin Sister fired at Thomas’ Point near Harrisburg in a celebration of the BBB&C Railroad. Probably one of the Chambers Twins not sent to LA.

August 1853

Two guns reported as the Twin Sisters fired in celebration of the BBB&C Railroad completing its first phase to Stafford’s Point. Probably the two Chambers Twins that were then sent to San Antonio; they were noted as arriving there in 1853 and later inventoried there in 1861 and 1862.

late 1859/early 1860

Samuel Young reported bronze 6-pounders he believed to be the Twins were fired in Houston to celebrate Sam Houston’s election to governor. Probably bronze guns belonging to the Houston Artillery Company. 14

1860 — early 1861

Texas asks Louisiana to return the Twins. The Chambers Twins that had been sent there in 1849 were located, refurbished, and marked with a brass carriage plaque as being the Twin Sisters, a gift to Texas from Louisiana.

April 16, 1861

The LA Twins arrive at Galveston; sent to armory there.

May 22, 1861

Sidney Sherman mentions LA Twins at Galveston.

October, 1862

Union forces take Galveston; most of cannons previously removed to mainland; some remained in harbor fort. Apparently the LA Twins and the Cayuga Twins never returned to Galveston after the island was retaken by Confederates in December, 1862.

1860’s

Samuel Young saw what he believed were the Twin Sisters in Houston at Market Square. He remembered them as bronze 6-pounders, inscribed as gifts from Cincinnati. Fired to celebrate San Jacinto day. Probably Cayuga Twins, confused with other bronze guns. William Hamblen and Joseph Dyer reported they saw firings of guns with carriage plaques stating they were gifts to Texas from Cincinnati; these were probably the Cayuga Twins.

November 30, 1863

Twin Sisters reported in a military camp in or near Austin, in poor condition.

February 8, 1864

Report of plan to send the Twins from Austin to San Antonio to join expedition to protect Rio Grande from invading Union troops.

March 1, 1864

Two pieces of artillery from Austin arrived in San Antonio; probably the Twin Sisters.

April, 1864

The guns from Austin are at San Fernando, a camp near Corpus Christi. They are all sent back to San Antonio.

mid-1864

Six pieces of artillery arrive from San Antonio in Brownsville, at Fort Brown. They probably included the Twin Sisters.

May 13, 1865

Rip Ford employs six pieces of artillery to defeat Union troops at Palmito Ranch, the last battle of the Civil War.

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Late May, 1865

All of Ford’s six cannons were left at Fort Brown when he and his men returned to Austin. Union occupying forces took control of the guns.

July 30, 1865

The LA Twins and the two Chambers howitzers were seen by M. A. Sweetman in Houston.

August, 1865

Henry Graves buried guns he thought were the Twins in Harrisburg. Says they were identified by an inscription saying they were gifts from Cincinnati to Texas. These were probably the Cayuga Twins with carriage plaques added in Houston in 1843.

1871

Samuel Young saw one of the Chambers Twins marked as such with a carriage plaque in Austin that looked like the ones he previously saw in Houston, except they were iron instead of brass as he had earlier remembered. This gun was removed as scrap in 1872.

Iron or brass? 4- or 6-Pounders? Reconciling Conflicting Accounts Most accounts describing the Twin Sisters say they were iron 6-pounders. Some accounts say they were bronze, and some say they were 4-pounders. Some say they had an inscription on a brass carriage plaque, some say it was on the barrel. Unfortunately, the records of the Cincinnati foundry that made them no longer exist. The report of the Texas Committee that authorized them in Cincinnati did not report material nor caliber. Once they left New Orleans, they were mentioned many times in various contexts in the historical record. Every first-hand account made by an individual who actually saw them in 1836 said they were iron. Only second-hand accounts reported many years later asserted they were bronze, and most of these reports can be shown to be guns other than the Twins. Most Texan accounts said they were 6-pounders, including Sam Houston and Thomas Rusk, who were involved in frequent communications about the movement of guns and efforts to obtain ammunition as they were being sent to the army. President David Burnet said they were 6-pounders, as did Ben McCullouch and John Ferrell, two of the men who were actually in the artillery company before and during San Jacinto. The strongest evidence supporting the 6-pounder caliber comes from several official military ordnance reports; all of those which mentioned their material or caliber said they were iron and 6-pounders. Reports of shot intended for them specifically stated 6pound balls. They were recorded as "short" 6-pounders, smaller than most guns of this caliber, which may account for reports by several eyewitnesses who said they were 4pounders. Two Cincinnati sources indicate that the Twins as 4-pounders. Henry Vallette wrote a letter to David Burnet dated May 31, 1836 in which he said they were 4pounders. Vallette was not a member of the committee who authorized the cannons nor 16

arranged for their manufacture. He apparently soon joined the group as his letter states that he was a member of the Executive and Financial Committees; he was involved in recruiting men to volunteer in the Texas cause. A Cincinnati newspaper articled from 1886, describing their role manufacturing the Twin Sisters, stated: “The committee of citizens there gave their order to have two four-pounders cast and delivered as soon as it was possible to furnish them.” George Hockley, in charge of Texian artillery for one day, April 21st at San

Jacinto, also said they were 4-pounders in a letter written a few days after the battle. He had not been directly associated with the guns before April 21st. The Author’s Opinion The Twin Sisters' final resting place remains a much-debated but unsolved Texas mystery to this day. Every Texas history buff has their own opinion about what happened to them. Here is mine: The Twins were short iron six-pounders. They probably did not have any type of an inscription, as they were contraband when manufactured and those associated with them did not want to advertise their illegal actions. Both were used at San Jacinto. One participated in the campaign during May to September of 1836 in which Thomas Rusk “shadowed” the Mexican army as they withdrew from Texas. The other was moved to Galveston after San Jacinto; they rejoined in Houston in 1838. Both were sent to Austin in 1840 and remaining there until 1864, when they were sent with Rip Ford on his expedition to the Rio Grande. They were used in the last battle of the Civil War at Palmito Ranch and turned over to Union forces at Fort Brown in June of 1865, from where they probably were shipped east as scrap iron and ultimately recycled. Here are my opinions regarding the various conflicting Twin sightings accounts: The bronze guns noted by S.O. Young in Houston in the 1850s and 1860s were 6-pounders that were acquired new and issued to the Houston Artillery Company in 1841. His recollection of an inscription saying they were from Cincinnati must have been in error, or perhaps he also saw the LA Twins, the Chambers howitzers, or the Galveston Artillery Company Cayuga Twins which may have been in Houston at times between 1862 and 1865. Young’s description of an inscription on a barrel was probably based on seeing the Chambers howitzers. The guns sent to Louisiana in 1849 were two iron Chambers guns. They did not have an inscription on their barrels. These were the guns refurbished by Louisiana and returned to Texas in 1861; each had a bronze carriage plaque stating they they were the Twin Sisters, and had been returned by Louisiana. Sidney Sherman mentioned these guns in his letter dated May 22, 1862. They were moved from Galveston to Houston with many other guns when Confederate General Hebert evacuated the Island before surrendering it to Union troops in October of 1862. They remained in Houston for the rest of the war, were noted by M.A. Sweetman in Houston in July of 1865, and apparently later shipped east, where one of the identification plaques was discovered in New York. The two Chambers iron howitzers were seen by Sweetman in Houston in July, 1865, and shipped out of the state shortly thereafter, presumably by ship as no railroad 17

in Texas connected out of the state at that time. They were individually returned in 1880 and 1910, and today are on the south steps of the state capitol. They have a Chambers mark inscribed on their barrel. The Havana Twins were lost in a shipwreck on Galveston Island in 1837, recovered in 1872 and sold to the Galveston Artillery Company. The Cayuga Twins were iron four-pounders owned by the Galveston Artillery Company and incorrectly thought by them and others to have been the Twins. They had been unloaded at Galveston from the schooner Cayuga in April, 1836, used briefly at Fort Travis, recovered in 1842, refurbished in 1843 and given to the Company. New brass plaques saying they were gifts of the citizens of Cincinnati to Texas were affixed to new carriages in 1843. They were bored out to be 6-pounders in 1860 and were kept at Harrisburg during the War, where they were found and buried by Henry Graves in 1865. The two brass six-pounders reported by Leon Dyer as the Twins were both purchased in New Orleans by Thomas Green in May, 1836, using a $500 donation from an Alabama benefactor. They accompanied Green as he joined Thomas Rusk’s army in mid-1836. Rusk had taken from San Jacinto on this campaign one of the iron Twin Sisters, thus leading to Dyer’s later confusion regarding the metal type of the Twins. The guns reported as being Twin Sisters by Joseph Dyer and William Hamblen were Cayuga Twins which they identified by brass carriage plaques that had been added in 1843. James V. Woodrick Austin, Texas June 3, 2016

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