Aransas Pass, the natural inlet three miles wide to Aransas Bay, separates San Jose and Mustang Islands, part of a chain of barrier islands extending along the entire length of Texas' coastal mainland. At the beginning of the Civil War, countless small vessels transported Confederate supplies up and down the Texas and northern Mexican coast virtually undisturbed by Federal naval forces, and cotton destined for foreign markets moved freely through Aransas Pass. By early 1861 a Union blockade had halted trafficking by Confederate vessels beyond the barrier islands, but Confederate supply movement inside the barrier chain continued, making inlets such as Aransas Pass sites of increasing strategic military value. The Aransas Pass area came under the control of Federal Captain J.W. Kittredge's naval forces until his capture in September 1862. In November 1863 a massive Federal force gained control of the South Texas coast from the Rio Grande to Matagorda Bay. Eventually, Federal forces lost control of the mainland behind Aransas Pass and in June 1864 withdrew from the area. Afterward, Confederate ships successfully eluded the Federal blockade and delivered vital supplies to the Confederacy by way of Aransas Pass.
