EDITOR’S NOTE: The following narrative on the yellow fever epidemic of 1862 was submitted for a state historical marker by the Matagorda County Historical Commission. Former MCHC marker chairman David Holubec made this remarkable story available.
Research and story done by Zia Miller.
Parts of this narrative were edited in the interests of space constraints.
Among natural and man-made disasters, there is perhaps nothing more baffling and terrifying than an infectious disease outbreak.
In the fall of 1862, small communities and military post along the Texas Gulf Coast were involved, not only in the Civil War, but also battled different illnesses when the dreaded yellow fever occurred.
Yellow fever reached epidemic proportion in the town of Matagorda and Matagorda County.
In a short six week period, approximately a third of the town’s population died.
Many victims were hurriedly buried in the Matagorda Cemetery.
In the autumn of 1862, “the yellow fever appeared in Matagorda City and before its departure desolated many homes and brought sadness to the hearts of all,” wrote the Mayor of Matagorda at the time of the epidemic, Don Egbert Erastus Braman (1814-1898).
“As the prevalence of this scourge is a sorrowful epoch in our history, we have caused the mournful results to be recorded herein for the information of future generations.”
John Matthews (1835-1913), ordained Methodist minister and proprietor of Matthews Store (1861-1913) of Caney, recorded in his diary a poignant picture of the extremely virulent epidemic
“About 150 white inhabitants of both sexes and all ages were in the city during the continuance of the disease. Of these 88 were attacked, 45 died and 43 recovered. There were about 50 slaves in the city and while many were desperately ill of ‘black vomit’ (yellow fever) but none died.”
During the Civil War, several military camps, posts and garrisons were in the area and Matagorda was one of the eight Texas ports used by blockade runners.
Tons of cargo was smuggled out to and continued to supply the Confederacy. Albert Wadsworth (1813-1862), a successful blockade runner, felt it was through blockade-running that yellow fever was brought to Matagorda.
Following a drought during the summer of 1862, late summer-early fall tropical rains and high tides gave relief to the bay prairies. Those conditions also allowed gave mosquito eggs the perfect environment to hatch and to carry the disease.
So when contraband cargo ships brought the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, along with individuals infected with yellow fever, the stage was set for this full blown epidemic.
“Saturday, September 27, 1862, yellow fever broke out in Matagorda,” recorded John Matthews.
“October 9th, 40 cases of yellow fever in Matagorda Battalion B. moved from Matagorda to Peyton’s Creek,” Matthews also wrote.
Relocating troops simply carried the disease with them.
Matthews continues with this entry, “October 10th. Cold norther, first of the season, continued blowing until Saturday, when wind fell off. Still very cold, 60 cases of yellow fever still in Houston.”
When the tale of the 1862 yellow fever was told, “the town’s old ladies, usually spoke of the unseasonable cold weather and of how grateful the people were as the fever seemed to disappear. And they would discuss the fact there were only three doctors for the whole county.”
Actually, there were eight doctors listed in the 1860 United States Federal Census living in the county.
Three of these were known to be in the town of Matagorda including, Dr. James Raphael Thompson), Dr. Edward Adolphus Peareson and Dr. Kimber Washington Skinner.
Matagorda County and Sabine Pass in Jefferson County appears to be the first areas hardest hit in the fall of 1862 by the fever.
The 11th Battalion of Texas Volunteers, Confederate States Army and nicknamed the “Swamp Angels, lost many men during this same 1862 epidemic.”
On October 1, 1862, Xavier Blanchard Debray, Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas, wrote an official report sighting the Federals in Jefferson and Orange counties.
His report included, “The yellow fever is reported at Matagorda.”
The Gonzales Inquirer, on Oct. 27, published, “The Yellow fever still prevails in Matagorda. There were four deaths on Thursday night. The people of the town are moving their goods, furniture, etc., to the country as fast as they can in fear of an attack. The town is defenseless.”
From the Victoria Advocate we learn that up to the Oct. 22, there had been 34 deaths from yellow fever at Matagorda.”
“Yellow Fever at Matagorda – Letters from Matagorda, September 27th, state there has been several cases of what is supposed to be yellow fever in that place, three of which have proved fatal. We fear the yellow demon will find a good deal of food there,” reported the Houston Telegraph, Nov. 7, 1862.
Galveston experienced a serious epidemic of Yellow fever that lasted from September 1862, until almost the end of November and over 100 soldiers died.
The first Texas quarantine station built in 1853 on the eastern tip of Galveston Island was not in operation during the Civil War.
When the Union troops occupied Galveston County the Confederate troops had been located from the island to Virginia Point another marshy area and prime breeding ground for mosquito borne disease.
Matagorda suffered through this ordeal with October delivering the most sickness and death.
By Nov. 27, the epidemic had run its course and the last town victim recorded was that of a child who is assumed to be buried in the designated yellow fever area in the town cemetery.
Hurricanes are a part of life along the Texas Gulf coast.
Over the past 185 years many calamitous events have struck Matagorda County, especially the town of Matagorda changing the direction of commerce and population.
The yellow fever epidemic is one such event that continues to be a haunting subject of study.
Science and technology continue to make the hallowed grounds of the Matagorda Cemetery a center of archeological educational research.
In the winter of 2000-2001, a team of archaeologists from Texas A&M University Center for Ecological Archaeology did an extensive bio-archaeological study.
This study was based on information from earlier probes, cemetery association records and common knowledge shared by lifelong residents.
The published technical report moved some burial tales into folklore. For example, the story about the Native American burial mound proved to be false.
One enters Matagorda by passing the beautifully maintained cemetery, a focal point of community heritage and strong ancestral ties.
One long-told tale, or tales, describe ghostly reflections dancing from the polished tombstones.
This helped bring the Jane Street Entertainment production crew, in June 2014, to film a pilot for the History Channel.
The show will focus on the well-kept historic secrets of Matagorda County.
Through a locally financed restoration project of 2013,
James Brenner and crew from Texas Cemetery Restoration of Dallas spent months probing, retrieving broken and scattered pieces of grave markers.
These have been restored and/or replaced according to the maps platted in 1985 by the Matagorda County Junior Historians, under the leadership of Mary Belle Ingram (1916-2010).
In June 22-24, a report on a ground-penetrating radar survey was received in September.
Some mystery appears to be solved. The large burial plot containing the remains of many yellow fever victimd esd located, flagged, mapped and marked.
The designated area is precisely where older community members always said was the spot, as told to them by their elders.
The bones of one third of a once thriving seaport community lay quietly awaiting identification.
Through science, technology and much physical labor, the once unknown location is now known.
The few surviving headstones are located in family plots.
How will future generations know about the massive devastation or have any idea of the broken lives caused by yellow fever?
The significance of this 1862 epidemic changed the course of Gulf Coast history and continues to chart courses of study.