|
Round Island Lighthouse |
|
|
Round Island Lighthouse |
|
War Time History
"The Round Island Filibustering Affair"
Round Island does not appear in the indexes of most encyclopedias nor in the state textbooks of the Mississippi public schools. But national interest and attention descended heavily on this small islet in the summer of 1849 when at least 300 soldiers of fortune (some accounts claim 500) gathered there under the leadership of a Colonel George White. They were all unarmed, most of them came from New Orleans, and many were veterans of the recent Mexican War. United States naval forces in the Gulf believed that the Round Island force intended to overthrow the Spanish rule in Cuba, or to attack some other power with which the United States were at peace. This potentially explosive situation was not generated overnight.
The Polk administration (1845-49) had offered to purchase Cuba for $100,000,000 but Spain declined to sell. Filibustering movements then became popular, and Narciso Lopez, a former colonel in the Spanish army, came to the United States from Cuba and lavishly spent his fortune in organizing expeditions to encourage revolution in Cuba. The most notable result was the Round Island affair.
The following paragraph from The Mississippi Gulf Coast by Professor Charles Sullivan is an excellent description of the political background:
"By late August the events at Round Island had attracted national
attention,
illuminating the widening chasm between the North and the South. The New
Orleans and Mobile papers viewed the blockade as a violation of the civil rights
of an assembly of unarmed citizens and a violation of the civil rights of an
assembly of unarmed citizens and as a violation of states’ rights in that U.S.
warships had invaded the territorial waters of Mississippi to enforce an illegal
federal order. The Chicago Tribune, on the other hand, supported the actions
of the President and the Navy, reflecting the Northern suspicion that the liberation
of Cuba was a Southern conspiracy to chop up Cuba into a number of slave states,
thus heading off the impending upset of the North-South balance of power in
the Senate". (At that time there were 15 free and 15 slave states.)
President Zachary Taylor had issued a proclamation on August 11, 1849 declaring the alleged "invasion" to be a violation of American neutrality laws. Taylor was quite familiar with the Pascagoula area and had enjoyed a brief family vacation the previous summer at the McRea Motel prior to his election as president. He called upon all civil and military authorities to arrest and prosecute the offenders. Commander Victor Randolph, senior officer in the Gulf of Mexico, anchored three warships off Round Island, declaring martial law and a blockade of the island effective August 28.
To the persons encamped on Round Island, near Pascagoula.
FRIENDS AND FELLOW-COUNTRYMEN: The proclamation of the President of the United States, and other instructions which I have received from the government at Washington, make it imperative and proper that I should immediately take measures to break up your unlawful assemblage, and send you back to your homes; and when I have said a few words to you in proof of your evading the vigilance of our squadron, and getting out of our water, to proceed upon your contemplated wild expedition to make war against nations at peace with our own, I feel sure you will at once disperse, and seek honest and peaceful occupations.
First. The very mystery which marks the movements and actions of your officers, and the blind ignorance of the men as to the destination of the enterprise, clearly show that the objects and purposes of those at the head of your affairs are known to be unlawful, and that plunder is the inducement held out to all who embark in this reckless expedition.
Second. We have proof that some you have acknowledged that your destination was Cuba, and that others of your number have said that the expedition was fitting out for the invasion of the Sierra Madre States of Mexico - showing conclusively that your enterprise is one of a military character.
And lastly. You are vagrants in the eyes of the law and in fact, and therefore cannot be allowed to occupy your present position, and must immediately disperse.
I will now prove to you that we have the means of not only preventing your embarkation to foreign parts, but that we can force you to abandon your present headquarters.
I shall employ all the vessels how in this vicinity, or which may hereafter arrive, in such manner as will most effectually bring about the ends desired.
First. I shall certainly prevent the steamers Fanny, Maria Burt, or any other steamer or steamers, vessel or vessels, of whatever description, from furnishing the adventures on Round Island with arms or other munitions of war.
Second. If said steamers or vessels have arms or other munitions of war on board, I shall take possession of said arms & c., and detain said steamers or vessels until the men congregated on Round Island are dispersed.
Third. I shall prevent the band of men on Round Island from embarking on board of said steamers or vessels, or from holding any communication with them at all.
Fourth. I will make said steamers or vessels anchor within range of our guns.
Fifth. After today, (28th August,) in accordance with a notice before given them, I shall cut off all supplies of provisions which may be intended for the persons on Round Island, and shall rigidly enforce this blockade or embargo until they abandon the spot and go home.
Sixth. I shall gladly give the persons on Round Island every facility to get away - taking particular care, however, that they do not embark in sea-going vessels.
V.M. RANDOLPH
Commanding United States ship "Albany,"
Senior officer afloat on the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. SHIP "ALBANY,"
Off Pascagoula, August 28, 1849.
If the above declaration seems extremely harsh to readers today, it was even more offensive to Mississippi Governor W.A. Matthews as we shall see later on. The governor maintained a surprising degree of discipline and judgment, and afforded no gesture of official recognition at any time to the Round Island enterprise. Professor Sullivan describes the conclusion of the confrontation as follows:
"In the end both sides backed down. Randolph, feeling the fury of
the New Orleans
and Mobile press and now the target of threats of legal action by the State of
Mississippi, lifted the blockade on September 5, 1949. Three weeks later, with the
knowledge that Randolph would sink him on the high seas, Colonel White ordered
his men to disband and disperse. The Navy, in the spirit of conciliation, then ferried
the mercenaries to the mainland and even enlisted a few for a term of service."
Early in January, 1850, just a few days before the expiration of his term, Governor Matthews delivered what was probably his final message. He expressed his bitterness in reference to the declaration (August 28) of Commander Randolph and to a shorter one sent the previous day (August 27) by Lieutenant Totten. The governor expressed his resentment to the "opprobrious epithets" used in describing the men on Round Island and to the lawless acts" of the United States officers. The governor continued:
"Several vessels on our coast, belonging to our citizens, were
ordered, under
peril of being fired upon, not to leave their position; and our coast was blockaded
for several weeks, to the great injury and annoyance of our
citizens"…………….
The governor complained seriously of the "lawless acts" of the United States officers, and said that
…."esteeming this an outrage upon our rights, and an insult to
the sovereignty
of Mississippi, but wishing to avoid any collision with the government of the
United States, I addressed a respectful note to the Secretary of the Navy, enclosing
copies of the proclamations of Messrs. Totten and Randolph and requesting a copy
of the instructions under which they acted. To this communication I received in
reply his note, declining a compliance with my request, and giving me no information
on the subject."
But there was other information going around which was of interest to the U.S. government, and the consequences of the Round Island filibustering assembly lingered on. A former governor of Mississippi, John A. Quitman, had been reelected for his support of the previously mentioned Narciso Lopez. Quitman was indicted by a federal jury in June of 1850, but was not arrested until February, 1851, at which time he resigned his office. The indictment was dismissed a month later.
On June 3, 1850, the U.S. Senate requested the instructions, orders, etc., and all correspondence between the President, Navy Department of other departments and governor of Mississippi relating to the Round Island "assemblage." The Navy Department transmitted this information to President Taylor as seen in the following document:
NAVY DEPARTMENT,
June 5, 1850.
SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the correspondence between the head of this department and the governor of the State of Mississippi, in reference to the assemblage of persons on Round Island, coast of Mississippi, during the summer of 1849, called for by the Senate’s resolution of the 3d instant.
Copies of the instructions given, orders issued, and the correspondence with officers of the navy of the United States, were furnished by this department on the 30th ultimo.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, sir, your obedient servant,
W.M. BALLARD PRESTON
To the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
In the document below is the reply to the U.S. Senate in which
President Zachary Taylor submits the documents requested on June 3, 1850
31st CONGRESS, {SENATE.} Ex. Doc.
1st Session. No. 55.
M E S S A G E
A resolution of the Senate, relative to the assemblage of persons on Round Island, coast of Mississippi, during the summer of 1849.
JUNE 11, 1850
Read, and ordered to be printed.
To the Senate of the United States:
I submit herewith, in reply to a resolution of the Senate of the 3d instant, calling for "copies of the instructions given and orders issued in relation to the assemblage of persons on Round Island, coast of Mississippi; during the summer of 1849, and of the correspondence between the President or heads of departments and the governor of Mississippi, and the officers, naval or military, of the United States, in reference to the observation, investment; and dispersion of said assemblage upon said island," a report from the Secretary of the Navy, and accompanying documents, which contain all the information on the subject not heretofore communicated to the Senate.
WASHINGTON, June 10, 1850. Z. TAYLOR.
Narciso Lopez had not given up in his efforts to foment a revolution in Cuba. Somehow, he managed to lead a small invading force into Havana, but the results were all failures. No revolution ensued and about 50 of his men were captured, all of whom were executed by firing squads. Lopez himself, was also captured. He was garroted in a public square in Havana. Even so, filibustering plots and efforts continued until the Civil War.
