Confederate Gunners Under Lieutenant Richard William Dowling Defended Fort Griffin At Sabine Pass Against A Superior Union Amphibious Force. The Union Force Included Four Gunboats And Numerous Transports Carrying Thousands Of Soldiers, Supported By Naval Gunnery, Commanded By Major General William B. Franklin And Lieutenant Frederick Crocker. The Confederate Force Comprised Approximately Forty-Six Well-Drilled Men From The Davis Guards, Armed With Six Smoothbore Cannons, Stationed In An Earthen Fort Built By Conscripts, Who Had Spent The Summer Practicing Gunnery And Marked Range-Stakes In The River Channels.
At Approximately 3:40 P.M., The Union Gunboats Advanced Into The Sabine River Channels. The Sachem Entered The Louisiana Channel, And Clifton Entered The Texas Channel, With Arizona And Granite City Also Participating. The Confederates Withheld Fire Until The Gunboats Reached The Predetermined Range-Stakes. At That Moment, They Opened Fire With Deadly Accuracy. The Sachem’s Boiler Was Struck And Exploded, Rendering The Vessel Inoperable. The Clifton’s Tiller Rope Was Severed, Causing It To Run Aground, And A Follow-Up Hit Disabled It Fully. The Granite City And Arizona Withdrew. The Union Force Suffered Heavy Casualties, Including Hundreds Killed, Wounded, Or Captured, And Two Gunboats Captured Or Destroyed. The Confederates Suffered No Casualties At All.
The Battle Lasted Only About Thirty-Five Minutes, During Which The Davis Guards Fired Approximately One Hundred Seven Rounds, At A Rate Far Faster Than Standard For Heavy Artillery. The Tactical Victory Prevented Union Forces From Establishing A Foothold In Texas. It Thwarted Plans To Disrupt Confederate Trade Routes To Mexico, To Interdict The Railroad Between Beaumont And Houston, And To Threaten The Confederate Interior. The Confederacy Retained Access To Supply Lines Into Texas And Maintained Coastal Defense.
In Recognition, The Confederate Congress Passed A Resolution Of Thanks To The Davis Guards. Citizens Of Houston Funded And Presented Silver Medals, Known As Davis Guards Medals, Made From Mexican Pesos, Inscribed With The Battle Name And Date And Bearing The Initials D G. Lieutenant Dowling Earned Elevation To Hero Status, Earning Thank-You Resolutions From Confederate Authorities And Later Being Celebrated In Monuments.
Historians Often Compare This Action To Thermopylae For Its Small Force’s Stand Against A Much Larger Opponent. The Battle Remains One Of The Most One-Sided Confederate Victories Of The Civil War. Many Military Analysts Note That Well-Prepared Defense, Local Knowledge Of River Channels, Precise Gunnery, And Training Accounted For This Extraordinary Outcome.
The Victory Delayed Any Further Union Invasion Of Texas. It Preserved The Confederacy’s Western Supply Lines While The Rest Of The War Continued To Shift Against Southern Forces. Although Strategically The Overall War Still Favored The Union, The Sabine Pass Defeat Had Local Strategic Importance. It Boosted Confederate Morale At A Time When Losses At Gettysburg And Vicksburg Had Weighed Heavily. It Symbolized Confederate Resilience, Showcasing That A Determined, Trained, And Well-Positioned Small Force Could Defeat A Much Larger Enemy.
The Site Today Is Preserved As Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site. It Features Monuments, Including A Statue Honoring Dowling, An Exhibit Marking Union Casualties, And A Scale Model Of The Fort And Battle. The Battle Continues To Serve As A Case Study In Tactical Defense, Improvised Fortification, And The Impact Of Local Terrain Knowledge In Amphibious Warfare.
References / More Knowledge:
Battlefields Trust. “Sabine Pass — Second Battle Of Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, TX, September 8, 1863.” battlefield.org.
Wikipedia. “Second Battle Of Sabine Pass.” Wikipedia.
History.com Editors. “Rebels Thwart Yankees At The Second Battle Of Sabine Pass.” History.com.
Texas Historical Commission. “Sabine Pass Battleground History.” thc.texas.gov.
Wikipedia. “Richard W. Dowling.” Wikipedia.