Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 1.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[147] received into the Confederate army as may desire it; private property not to be molested; the soldiers not to be permitted to leave the State except by way of Galveston and the Mississippi River.

At one o'clock, P. M., the steamer Gen. Rusk, Capt. Leon Smith, having on board Gen. E. B. Nichols with 150 volunteers from Galveston, appeared off the bar. She came to near the pilot house, and upon the pilot coming on board learned the good news of the surrender which was then being carried into execution without a resort to the use of arms. Before the Rusk crossed the bar the officers on board, with their glasses, could distinctly see the troops on the two schooners, as also the three steamers with steam up having on board soldiers, (the Texas volunteers,) and as they could not suppose Col. Van Dorn had had time to concentrate his forces there, the conclusion with them was that the U. S. troops had been reinforced from the west by companies known to be coming down, and, consequently, that the men on the Rusk had a pretty fair prospect of a fight.

The Rusk remained at anchor until 10 o'clock, P. M., when she went up to Indianola, put out her mails, and went down to Saluria at sun — up yesterday morning, when, after taking on board Capt. W. R. Bradfute, bearer of dispatches from Major Van Dorn to Montgomery, as well as a considerable number of passengers, crossed the bar at 10 o'clock, and came into this port at 12 o'clock last night.

The 450 United States troops who had surrendered were on the schooners Horace and Urbana in charge of Col. Van Dorn when the Rusk left last night. They had gone down the bay on these schooners with a view of being embarked on the Fashion, but this steamer was deemed unseaworthy, and the United States was not in a much better condition, while the propeller Mobile was too small for their accommodation. It is expected that they will go on shore again to-day, and that most of them will enlist in the army of the Confederate States.

We see from Gen. Nichols' report to Gen. Sherman, that in less than an hour after the Rusk took position so as to command the schooners with the U. S. troops on board, he reported himself to Col. Van Dorn, and received in reply, that the surrender had just been agreed on.

Major Larkin Smith, who, we believe, was second in command at Indianola, resigned immediately on hearing of the secession of Virginia; and we learn his example was followed by some six or eight other United States officers.--Galveston (Texas) News, April 27.