JANUARY 24TH, 1865: Secretary Welles ordered Commodore Henry K. Thatcher to relieve Commodore James S. Palmer as Commander, West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Welles cautioned Thatcher that the "Rio Grande is a great avenue through which supplies of every description reach the insurgents.
"Being a neutral highway, unscrupulous parties avail themselves of it to enrich themselves and aid the rebel cause. ...But by vigilance and the maintenance of an adequate blockading fleet in the vicinity of the mouth of the river and in the route to and from Havana this trade may be seriously interrupted."
--Old B-R'er
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