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Date Posted: Monday, August 17 2009, 09:14am
Author: Mike McGreevy
Subject: Dick Dowling Days

SABINE PASS:
On a hot afternoon one hundred and forty-six years ago, one of the most incredible battles of the American Civil War happened on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. Abraham Lincoln had decided it was time for the Union to knock the State of Texas out of the war. The plan was to send a force of five thousand Federal soldiers in a surprise attack on the port of Sabine Pass. From there, they would launch assaults on Confederate forces in Beaumont, and then move on Houston. Another five thousand troops would follow to serve as the second wave of the invasion. The first wave boarded an armada of eighteen ships in New Orleans and, escorted by four gunboats, steamed to the Texas Gulf Coast. They arrived at the mouth of the pass during the night and attacked the next day on September 8, 1863.

The Confederate defenses at Sabine Pass were meager that day. Forty-seven volunteers, all young Irish immigrants from the Houston and Galveston area, were posted in a seemingly unimpressive fort on the shore about a mile up the pass. It was called Fort Griffin and was constructed of dirt and reinforced with salvaged railroad material. Its armament was six old smoothbore artillery pieces. The men were of Company F of the First Texas Heavy Artillery and were known popularly as the Davis Guard. The day that the attack began, the company’s commander and many of the men were away on other duties, so command fell on the shoulders of a young lieutenant, twenty-six year old Houston businessman Richard W. Dowling. The outcome of this battle would seem forgone, but, through great skill, courage, and a nice bit of luck, this small group of men accomplished one of the most daring feats in the history of warfare.

Their superiors advised them to blow up the fort and fall back to Beaumont, but they chose to stay and fight. They knew that Fort Griffin, though unfinished, was actually very strong and very well positioned. The Davis Guard were also very accurate gunners. They held their fire until the enemy had entered shallow water then sprung their trap. After a ferocious forty-minute artillery duel against the vanguard of the fleet, they put panic to the invaders and repelled the entire force. Fifty Union sailors and soldiers were killed, scores wounded, and three hundred and fifty taken prisoner. Two of the gunboats were captured and later converted to Confederate service. To soften the humiliation of the defeat, the Yankee newspapers later exaggerated the Rebel force and claimed that scores of Confederates were killed. In truth, Dowling’s men didn’t suffer a single serious casualty.

On September 12-13, 2009, to celebrate the grand reopening of the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site and to commemorate the 146th anniversary of this amazing battle, The Dick Dowling Days Civil War Weekend will be held. Visitors to the site at 6100 Dowling Road, Port Arthur, Texas will see history come to life, explore the army camps and battlefield, and hear the incredible stories of the soldiers and citizens of the time. There will be two battle reenactments each day. The troops will face a perfect storm of smoke, lead, and steel. Visitors will actually feel the cannons’ roar and taste the smoke of battle!

Dick Dowling Days is hosted by the Texas Historical Commission. Sponsorship is provided by the Friends of Sabine Pass Battleground and the Jefferson County Historical Commission. The Living History activities are coordinated by Dick Dowling Camp 1295 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Admission and parking is free. The site opens to the public at 8 AM. Bring your lawn chairs and spend a day in 1863! For more information call 409-617-8459.



Schedule of Events

SATURDAY, Sept. 12 Open to the public at 8 am.

Demonstrations throughout the day.

10 AM First battle re-enactment

11 AM Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site Grand Reopening Ceremony
The Texas Historical Commission

11:30 AM Memorial Service
Hosted by the Jefferson County Historical Commission
Color Guard by the Sons of Union Veterans and the Sons of Confederate Veterans
Wreath laying by the Sons of Union Veterans Auxiliary and the Order of Confederate Rose

2 PM Court martial and execution

3 PM Second battle re-enactment:

5:30 PM Gates close to the public.

***
SUNDAY, Sept. 13 Open to the public at 8 am.

Demonstrations throughout the day.

9 AM Camp prayer meeting

10 AM First battle re-enactment

1 PM Court martial and execution

2 PM Second Battle re-enactment

We will retire the colors and break camp after resting up from the Sunday afternoon battle.

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