(July 21, 2008) Enlarge CSA Fort Velasco Site
 
This panorama shows the entire size of Fort Velasco. The remains of the fort site appear at the grass line. Keep in mind these photos were taken before Hurricane IKE, a storm which, when it made landfall nearby, sent a tidal surge estimated to have put the fort site at least 15 feet underwater. Fort Velasco, located in Surfside Texas.
 
On Dec 11, 1863, Pvt Jeff Morgan of Company "E", Likens' 35th Texas Cavalry Regiment wrote a letter from camp near Velasco in which he mentioned sickness in camp and that he thought there were 10,000 soldiers in camp. Although an exact count of the number of troops in and around Fort Velasco is impossible to verify, Jeff Morgan's letter indicates just how important the position must have been because plenty of regiments along with Likens' 35th Texas Cavalry were stationed in the vicinity in December 1863 when the threat of Union invasion was considered likely.

(July 21, 2008) Enlarge Quintana Beach County Park, Brazoria County, Texas
 
During World War II the US Army used the area of the old CSA fort at Quintana to protect the oil refineries from enemy attack. Today there is a large artillery piece at the spot in Quintana to commemorate the WWII defenses

(July 21, 2008) Enlarge Fort Velasco and Fort Quintana

Location of part of original Fort Velasco This photo is just a very small portion of the original Fort Velasco. The photo was taken looking toward the mouth of the Brazos River. Across the Brazos is Quintana, where another fort was located. The mouth of the Brazos is still a very important commercial area (See refineries in the distance)

(July 21, 2008) Enlarge Fort Quintana
 
This is a view from the general location of the Confederate defenses at Quintana, looking toward where the Brazos River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Velasco can be see across the river. This photo was taken July 21, 2008, prior to Hurricane Ike

In the Book Confederates on the Caney, by Bobby McKinney page 127 he lists the following Confederate units as among those having been stationed at Fort Quintana and Fort Velasco between Dec 1863 and March 1864:

2nd Texas Infantry
3rd Texas Infantry
13th Texas Infantry
Infantry Brigade Texas State Troops
Waul's Texas Legion
23rd Texas Cavalry
1st Texas State Cavalry
Jiones' Texas Battery
Gibson's Texas Battery
Wilke's Texas Battery
Confederate States Engineer Troops

With this many troops and the use in conflicts before and since, it is easy to see how valuable the area was perceived by many leaders to be