Charles Stillman - King, Kenedy and Co.

King, Kenedy and Co.

Charles Stillman started a transport company with Miflin Kenedy and Richard King after the Mexican-American War, under the name of King, Kenedy and Co. The transport company bought up the Government's surplus steam boats which were used to ferry U.S. forces across the Rio Grande. King, Kenedy and Co. gained a monopoly over river trade until former business partners of Stillman, King and Kenedy's José San Román and John Young started their own river boat venture. Profits were still very high for Kenedy, King and Co. despite competition. In the 1850s the Cortina Wars started, Juan Cortina an enemy of Stillman's led some attacks on the King, Kenedy and Co. fleet, most notable an attack near Rio Grande City, Texas, but did not disrupt it. Shortly before the Civil War Stillman hired a clerk by the name of Francisco Yturria who would become an instrumental partner in King, Kenedy and Co. during the Civil War. Yturria being born in Matamoros could register boats under Mexico allowing them to fly the Mexican flag. Since Mexico was a neutral country American ships blockading the Texas Coast could not board Stillman's ships. Stillman, King and Kenedy arranged for bales of cotton to be sent to Brownsville where it was Ferried across the Rio Grande to Matamoros. The Rio Grande could not be blockaded because it was an international border and such a blockade would have caused an incident with the Mexican Government. Despite Union Forces capturing Brownsville in 1863 and 1864 smuggling cotton was still a profitable venture. After the war a rail line from Brownsville to Point Isabel (Port Isabel, Texas was known as Point Isabel during this period) was completed river traffic dwindled and the company sold its boats to Captain William Kelly.