The Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad extended from Houston to Columbia on the Brazos River during the war as the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad went to Alleyton on the Colorado River. Both of the rivers were important to the trade to the south as most other avenues of entrance were heavily blockaded by the north. Goods which were dear to the confederacy were coming in through these rivers to the rail lines at Columbia and Alleyton as well as goods coming from Mexico via wagon trains to those rails. Confederate Cotton was shipped from these points to foreign mills.

The mouths of these rivers were guarded by confederate forces; Fort Velasco on the Brazos and Fort Matagorda on the Colorado.

The museum in the old courthouse in Angleton had a great display of the fort on the Brazos as well as other items relating to this period. They are undergoing a reconstruction at this time and I am not sure what is there now but it is well worth a visit.

Other areas of interest in that regard is the sinking of the USS Hatteras, just posted to the blockade at this point, by the CSS Alabama. It is sitting on the bottom in the gulf with its boiler plate removed by the person who found the ship but little else missing. Another related episode is the beaching of the blockade runner Acadia along the shore between what is now Surfside and the San Louis pass by the USS Virginia. It still sits in about 16 feet of surf having been burned to the waterline on the beach after troops from Ft Velasco had unloaded most of the cargo. The beach has receeded to the point where the Acadia is a good 200 yards off the current beach. Diving on it was a challenge before the iron "mast" was knocked back into the water no longer visable from shore. Now it is an impossible feat without two or three jet skys and a long rope to find it. Anyone game?

If one googles the key words one can find some information but its accuracy may be subject.

Thanks

JRC