The ''San Felipe'' incident was the first

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be broadly d ...

fought between

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and rebel forces during the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

. Thomas McKinney deliberately provoked the Mexican government by heavily arming the

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

''San Felipe,'' filling it with a cargo of munitions meant for Texian revolutionaries, and sending it from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to Brazoria, Texas. Aboard was a crew of

Texians Texians were Anglo-American immigrants to Mexican Texas and, later, citizens of the Republic of Texas. Today, the term is used to identify early Anglo settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of tha ...

and Stephen F. Austin, recently released from incarceration in Mexico and dedicated to Texian independence from Mexico. On September 1, 1835, as the ''San Felipe'' was transferring the last of its cargo to the ''Laura,'' also crewed by Texians, the

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...

warship ''Correo de Mejico'' approached. Uncharacteristically for merchant vessels both ships reacted aggressively, firing on the ''Correo'' and capturing it after a day-long pursuit. The ''San Felipe's'' captain, William Hurd, arrested the captain of the ''Correo'', the British-born American citizen Thomas Thompson, as well as the crew''.'' Though Thompson was a

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

of the Mexican navy, Hurd brought them back to New Orleans as pirates. Thompson had been seizing smuggling ships along the coast which had begun carrying arms in to the rebels in Texas and the capture of him and his ship cleared the way for more arms and support for the rebels to move into the area.

References

{{1835 shipwrecks Naval battles involving the Republic of Texas Mexican Texas Naval battles involving Mexico History of Texas Maritime incidents in September 1835 1835 in Texas September 1835

See also

References