The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. accessed August 22, 2023, Dick Dowling and the men of the Davis Guard successfully defeated a much larger Union invasion force in the 1863 Battle of Sabine Pass. Video Series on the History of Sabine Pass - Texas Historical Commission Texas Centennial Pennington ordered his vessel to fire and it was soon joined by the Rachael Seaman. The defense of the area became a prime focus of Texas Confederate activity to protect blockade running vessels carrying goods and supplies in and out of the area. In his exaggerated retelling of the battle, Davis described an "iron clad fleet [that] came steaming up the river with nothing to oppose it but a mud fort armed with field guns and held by 42 men." . Here is the map. Just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Dowling enlisted in a Texas unit composed primarily of Irish dockworkers from Houston and Galveston known as the Davis Guard, named for former Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. The Battle of Sabine Pass - Its Causes and Effects Sabine Pass Lighthouse, Louisiana at Lighthousefriends.com Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is located in the Texas Forest Trail Region. To break the day-to-day monotony, the gunners practiced firing artillery at range markers placed in the river. Sabine first appeared in the animated Star Wars Rebels show back in 2014, where she was voiced by Tiya Sircar. Farragut assigned Acting Master Quincy Hooper in the schooner USSRachel Seaman to assist. A railroad ran from that area to Houston and opened the way into the interior of the state. The Bank, as it was known locally, became Houston's most popular social gathering place in the 1860s and it was renowned for its hospitality. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. Cotham Jr., Edward T. Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae. The channel is also the only conceivable way that ships produced by shipyards in Orange and Beaumont could have reached the seas. First Battle of Sabine Pass - Wikipedia Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Lt. Frederick Crocker, who had successfully captured Sabine Pass a year earlier, commanded the gunboats Clifton, Sachem, Arizona, and Granite City, and altogether there were about 5,000 men aboard the 4 gunboats and the 19 troop transports that accompanied them. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link . Davis Guards Medal - Wikipedia Confederate Hero, Dick Dowling: Miracle at Sabine Pass It has often been credited as the war's most one-sided Confederate victory. Water Towers After five hours the Henry Janes was freed from the muck and entered the pass. Take steps to avoid the spread of COVID-19 to protect fellow visitors, agency staff, and volunteers. Navy gunboats smashed the fort, then landed troops that burned sawmills and railroad shops, destroyed track, and pulled down the bridge over the Sabine. Occurrence of the storm was recorded in the controversial "Diary of Louise" on October 20, 1886. The Union forces lost any chance of surprising the garrison when a blockader missed its arranged meeting with the ships from New Orleans on the evening of September 6. Things Historical May That left the gunboat without the ability to steer and caused it to run aground, where its crew continued to exchange fire with the Confederate gunners. Small Battle of Sabine Pass | American Battlefield Trust Late that afternoon the Rachel Seaman made it over, but the slightly deeper draft Henry Janes became stuck when the tide fell.[2]. For more information, go to visitsabinepassbattleground.com. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. The Battle of Sabine Pass, September 8, 1863 List and locations of gunboats and transports. In an attempt to escape poverty, his family fled the country in 1846 for the U.S. and initially resided in New Orleans. Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is located in the Texas Forest Trail Region. Where Was Sabine Wren During The Star Wars' Original Trilogy - Screen Rant He subsequently served as a recruiter for the Confederacy and was personally commended for his action at the battle by Jefferson Davis, who named the battle the "Thermopylae of the Confederacy." The Confederate government offered its gratitude . The Western Gulf Blockading Squadron of the United States Navy sent four gunboats mounting eighteen guns to protect the landing. On September 8, 1863, the battle of Sabine Pass turned back one of several Union attempts to invade and occupy part of Texas during the Civil War. Jefferson County, TX | Sep 8, 1863 Union forces attacked Fort Griffin outside of Sabine City along the Sabine River to establish a Union presence in Texas and discourage trade between the Confederacy and Mexico. The Company consisted of 40 Irish dock workers lead by a young lieutenant, a barkeep from Houston, named Dick Dowling. About 6:00 am on the morning of September 8, 1863, a Union flotilla of four gunboats and seven troop transports steamed into Sabine Pass and up the Sabine River with the intention of reducing Fort Griffin and landing troops to begin occupying Texas. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml, Get your copy of the 2022-2023 Texas Almanac. It was the apex in a series of naval and land skirmishes around the mouth of the Sabine River, Texas, and preceded by four weeks the Union Navy's first armed entry into Galveston Bay called the Battle of Galveston Harbor. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. The Confederates captured 300 Union prisoners and two gunboats. ite is most known for its role in the Civil War, it was also used as a U.S. Army coastal artillery battery during World War II. 'The Most Extraordinary Feat of the War' - HistoryNet The fire was in several areas near the Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge and the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site according to Port Arthur Fire Chief Greg Benson. Pennington ordered his vessel to fire and it was soon joined by the Rachael Seaman. Archeological Consultants Working in Texas, Curatorial Facility for Artifact Research, Finding and Hiring a Preservation Consultant, Video Series on the History of Sabine Pass. Both forts are Texas Historical Commission properties. The Granite City also turned back rather than face the accurate artillery of the fort, thus ending the federal assault. [1], Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and Second Battles of Sabine Pass. Richard W. Dowling - Wikipedia In 1983, Texas Historical Commission acknowledged the seacoast defense command posts establishing a Texas historical marker at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site. History. Join our growing community of academics, professionals, and history enthusiasts of all levels and ages. Sabine Pass, Battle of - TSHA A railroad ran from Sabine Pass to Houston and opened the way into the interior of the state. This monument to Ft. Griffin displays the location of each of the Fort's six guns and the direction they would have been pointed during the Battle of Sabine Pass. The importance of Sabine Pass to the Gulf Coast economy led to its military protection in the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II. Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site - Visit Port Arthur Texas Cotton Gins Stores Battle Battle of Mouth of Sabine River, September 8th, 1863 On the afternoon of September 8, 1863, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Frederick Crocker ("Acting Captain") was in command of the advance squadron composed of four gunboats. - September 23, 1867 Richard Dowling was one of many Irishmen who fought in the American Civil War, but he did not achieve the fame of Patrick Cleburne or Thomas Meagher. On Jan. 1, 1863, Southern forces expelled Union occupiers from Galveston. Marking the site of the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, fought September 8th, 1883. Dowling spent his time at the remote outpost instructing his men in artillery targeting drills across the Sabine River's two channels, which the fort guarded. On September 27, 1862, three boats with thirty-three men traveled up the Sabine Lake twelve miles, near the mouth of Taylor's Bayou, and attempted to destroy a railroad bridge, but after they left the bridge was saved. On this page, you can watch a brief introductory video about the archive and read a brief summary of the . Dowling's artillery drills paid off as the Confederates scored several direct hits on the federal ships, disabling two of them, and blocking the others passage. As the gunboats approached Fort Griffin, they came under accurate fire from six cannons. The Confederate gunners at Fort Griffin had been sent there as a punishment. Sign up to receive the latest information on the American Battlefield Trust's efforts to blaze The Liberty Trail in South Carolina. The captains conferred and determined that they would not attempt to get the deep draft Kensington over the bar, but instead would use the schooners to make the attack. More than 20 warships loaded with dozens of guns and thousands of trained seamen and soldiers surrendered to the 47 inhabitants of a mud hut in a debacle that defies most conventional military logic. [2] [3] Spanish-American War Sam Houston and the Dilemma of Secession: Battle of Sabine Pass in Civil War Context: Sabine Pass was a key entry point into the river system that flowed through East Texas and western Louisiana. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Invasion At The Second Battle of Sabine Pass The Second Battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863) was a failed Union Army attempt to invade the Confederate state of Texas during the American Civil War.The Union Navy supported the effort and lost three gunboats during the battle, two captured and one destroyed.. The on-site number is (409) 332-8820. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) This statue of Lt. Dick Dowling faces the entrance to Sabine Pass. He attended West Point from 1839 to 1843, graduating first in his class. [5], In 1941, the United States authorized a coastal artillery emplacement and Harbor Entrance Control Post at the Sabine Pass natural waterway inlet as a response to Battle of the Atlantic better known as Operation Drumbeat orchestrated by Nazi Germany. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. Sabine Pass | American Battlefield Trust On September 8, 1863, at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, a small Confederate force thwarts a Federal invasion of Texas at the mouth of the Sabine River on the Texas- Louisiana border. Learn more in the following videos. This "beautifully written . Sachem, which exploded, killing and wounding many of the crew and leaving the gunboat without power in the channel. In . Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Material Concerning Richard V. Cook and the Battle of Sabine Pass The Clifton, which also carried several sharpshooters, pressed on up the channel near the Texas shore until a shot from the fort cut away its tiller rope as the range closed to a quarter of a mile. [4] Neither side reported suffering any casualties. The Union commander, Lt. Frederick Crocker, formed a plan for the gunboats to enter the pass and silence the Fort Griffin guns so the troops could land. The following ship, the U.S.S. The Davis Guards had fired their cannon 107 times in thirty-five minutes of action, a rate of less than two minutes per shot, which ranked as far more rapid than the standard for heavy artillery. . Careful fortification, range marking and artillery practice had produced a successful defense of Sabine Pass. Statues Every dollar helps. Today, the Sabine Pass Battleground is a national historic landmark, home to several dozen monuments, banners, informational signs, models, and ammunition bunkers, all of which tell the story of Sabine Pass and its importance in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century East Texas History. Read More About Sabine Pass Battleground's History. The unlikely victory of Dowling and the Davis Guard thwarted the Union invasion of Texas. A railroad ran from that area to Houston and opened the way into the interior of the state. https://www.tshaonline.org, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/sabine-pass-battle-of. Behind the fort, Confederate officers gathered reinforcements, although their limited numbers would make resistance difficult if the federal troops landed. The battle of Sabine Pass, on September 8, 1863, turned back one of several Union attempts to invade and occupy part of Texas during the Civil War. 3 people found it helpful rowboatontario The Battle of Sabine Pass is important because "it marks the failed attempt of the Union Army to invade the Confederate state of Texas. The location of a significant Civil War battlefield, Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site tells the story of Confederate Lt. Richard "Dick" Dowling and his 46 men who thwarted a Union assault on Sabine Pass, a primary Texas port for Confederate shipments of supplies and vital to the war effort. Black History Sabine Pass was a key entry point into the river system that flowed through East Texas and western Louisiana. On September 8, 1863, a Union fleet numbering some 20 vessels and about 4,000 men tried to invade Texas through Sabine Pass. The heroics at Fort Griffin44 men stopping a Union expeditioninspired other Confederate soldiers. Post Offices William Buel Franklin | American Battlefield Trust sabinepassshs@thc.texas.gov. The storm, now considered to have been a category 3 (SaffirSimpson scale), resulted in at least 196 deaths. The U.S. Navy blockaded the Texas coast beginning in the summer of 1861, while Confederates fortified the major ports. Its always a good time to visit a state historic site, but Texas anglers have a special reason to get hooked on history. A fort built near the city of Sabine Pass became the bulkhead of the Confederate defense of the area. Port Arthur, Texas thesis, Lamar University, 1974; Nederland, Texas: Nederland Publishing, 1976). and meticulously researched" Civil War history vividly recounts one of the most decisive battles fought in Texas (Civil War News). The First Battle of Sabine Pass or the Bombardment of Fort Sabine was a naval and land battle during the American Civil War in Sabine Pass, Texas. Since the fort ceased firing during the day, Crocker attempted to take the fort that evening using launches, but was unable to locate a passage through the large oyster reef which divided the channel.[3]. Today Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site, popular with anglures, features an interpretive pavilion and walkway, a 14-foot statue and monument, ADA- accessible sidewalks and restrooms, covered picnic tables and grills, 4-lane boat ramps with ADA-accessible dock, 1/4 mile of shoreline with safety railing. Dowling's Story Dick Dowling and Sabine Pass in History and Memory The Battle of Sabine Pass September 1863 - Iron Brigader Captain R. V. Cook's company of infantry, thirty-eight men, was stationed at Grigsby's Bluff, on the Neches river, about half way between Beaumont and Sabine Pass. Dick Dowling was born in Galway, Ireland in 1836. The Confederates, who suffered no casualties during the battle, received the gratitude of the Confederate Congress for their victory. Second Battle of Sabine Pass facts for kids - Kids encyclopedia He is buried in St. Vincents Cemetery in Houston. Battlegrounds are open daily with extended hours of 6 a.m.-8 p.m. through Sept. 15, 2023. On September 23, the vessels arrived off of the pass and were joined by Acting Master Lewis Pennington in the mortar schooner USSHenry Janes. The U.S. Navy blockaded the Texas coast beginning in the summer of 1861, while Confederates fortified the major ports. Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is located in the Texas Forest Trail Region. In an effort to improve his mens artillery targeting, he implemented an innovative idea of placing colored stakes in the river that marked the cannons most effective firing range. Exploros | Civil War Battles in Texas Books Texas Through Time | Sabine Pass and Sea Rim SP The First Battle of Sabine Pass (September 2425, 1862), also known as the Bombardment of Fort Sabine, was the first American Civil War bombardment by the United States Navy of a Confederate fort below Sabine City (now Sabine Pass, Texas.) Sabine Pass, Battle of, In addition to strengthening the Union naval blockade of the Texas coastline, it was also intended to open the way for a possible amphibious assault on the Confederate town of Sabine Pass. African American Labor in the Building of Fort Griffin: Dowlings First Person Account of the Battle: Union Soldier's First Person Account of the Battle: The City of Sabine Pass and the surrounding area became a shipping hub for Texas agricultural products and goods early in its history. [6] The Sabine Pass military base exhibited checkpoint and guard end stations, coastal searchlights, coastal signal stations, and an observation tower. In the fall of 1863, after taking New Orleans and Vicksburg, their leaders attacked Western Louisiana in a renewed effort. This exhibit uses items drawn from the Dick Dowling Digital Archive to explore both the history and the historical memory of Dowling and the battle. Union interest in Texas and other parts of the Confederacy west of the Mississippi River resulted primarily from the need for cotton by northern textile mills and concern about French intervention in the Mexican civil war. [4] The fortifications were a response as hostilities intensified in the Gulf of Mexico during the Cuban War of Independence often referred as the SpanishAmerican War.
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