The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 14
341 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Tsexas Historical Association Quarterly.
service for nearly fifteen years.- In a letter written in 1904,
George F. Fuller, one of his midshipmen in the Texas navy, speaks
of him as about 5 feet 8 inches in height, of fair complexion, blue
eyes, light brown hair, and stocky build. He was genial, pleasant,
and universally liked; a thorough seaman and a splendid officer."
In 1839 the prospect of an adventurous and active career in the
Texas navy caused him to resign his commission as lieutenant on
the United States sloop Boston,3 and offer his services to Texas.
He was appointed post-captain and was generally addressed by the
title of Commodore, both by the public and by the secretary of
the navy in his official communications. He had command of the
entire Texas navy from the beginning of his service. Strange,
however, as it may seem, no commission was issued to him, or the
officers under him, until three years after they had entered the
Texan service. In a letter to the secretary of war and marine
July 5, 1842, he complained of this in the following terms:
I beg leave also to call the attention of the Department to the
fact that not an officer in thkel Navy has a commission, a circum-
stance unprecedented in the annals of history, that a Government
should have for three years, their vessels of war on the high seas,
visiting foreign ports, and capturing the enemy's vessels, without
a commission even in the possession of the commander of the Navy.'
This letter seems to have had the effect that Commodore Moore
desired, for two weeks later he received his commission, as did
also the officers serving under him. These commissions were con-
firmed by the senate on July 20, 1842. Commodore Moore's com-
mission entitled him, "Post Captain Commanding," and was ante-
dated April 21, 1839, some time before his resignation from the
United States navy.
The first difficulty encountered by the new navy was to obtain
sufficient sailors and marines to man the ships.5 For this purpose
1Till July 16, 1839. Cong: Globe, 33d Cong., 1st Sess., Appendix, 1084;
Moore, To the People of Texas, 10.
'Fuller to Dienst, October 27, 1904, in Dienst Col. Does.
"Thrall, 592.
4Moore to Hockley, in Moore's To the People of Texas, 79.
6In regard to the proceedings of the United States government against
Moore himself on the charge of illegal recruiting activity in New York
Harbor in the winter of 1839-40, see Deposition of Hunter. December 30,
1839; Forsyth to Dunlap, January 15, 1840; Dunlap to Forsyth, January
16, 1840-all in Annual Report American Historical Association for 1907,
Volume II.-EDITOR QUARTERLY.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910, periodical, 1910; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101051/m1/22/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.