AH-WR-0384

Will o' the Wisp

Blockade Runner · Confederate States · Lost 1864 · Texas & the Western Gulf

An iron paddle steamer that ran the Union blockade off Texas, wrecked in the final months of the Civil War and later studied alongside the Denbigh.

Captain of Record

Edward G Duffett

AHR-1924

See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Will o' the Wisp was an iron paddle steamer that ran cargo through the Union blockade of the Texas coast during the closing months of the Civil War. She ran aground near the mouth of the Rio Grande while attempting to evade blockading warships. Archaeologists later excavated her remains alongside the wrecks of Denbigh and Acadia to document the technology and tactics of western Gulf blockade running.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Iron
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side-wheel paddle
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 1, 1864
Cause: Grounding
Location: Texas coast near the mouth of the Rio Grande
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Excavated alongside the Denbigh and Acadia as part of a broader study of Texas blockade-running wrecks.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Protected under Texas Antiquities Code

Position

Coordinates: 25.96° N 97.15° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Rio Grande mouth, Texas coast
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate near the mouth of the Rio Grande (USGS Mouth of Rio Grande quadrangle / Boca Chica Beach) from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

Exact date of loss and precise coordinates are not established in the sources reviewed.

Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Comparative study of Texas blockade-running wrecks.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Mouth of Rio Grande / Boca Chica Beach, TX
coordinate of the named place of loss