Nearly-forgotten history: Second battle of Sabine pass

[seamusTX]

During the late unpleasantness (a.k.a. the Civil War), Confederate forces recaptured Galveston from the Union on January 1, 1863. The Union had meanwhile blockaded or taken over Atlantic and eastern gulf coast ports, leaving Galveston as one of a few safe harbors for Confederate sympathizers and smugglers.

In late summer 1863, Union strategists devised a foolproof plan for taking the port of Galveston. They sent a flotilla of 24 ships carrying 5,000 troops, which, for complicated reasons, had to steam though Sabine Pass. (By this time, all serious warships were steam-powered.)

Sabine Pass is the outlet of the Sabine River into the Gulf of Mexico. It's about 100 miles east of Galveston. Port Arthur is on Sabine Lake.

At the time, Sabine Pass was defended by a CSA fort manned by 36 men with 6 artillery pieces.

On September 8, 1863, the Union flotilla flipped off the puny Confederate fort. When the smoke dissipated, two Union gunships were sunk and 200 Union personnel were dead, injured, or captured. The naval force retreated, and Galveston remained a free city until the end of the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bat ... abine_Pass" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The commander of the fort, Dick Dowling, was a prominent citizen of Houston until he succumbed to yellow fever in 1867. A major street east of downtown bears his name

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_W._Dowling" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Follow the footnoted links, if you're interested.

I have no dog in this hunt. In the 1860s, my ancestors were growing potatoes in Ireland.

- Jim

[puma guy]

Jim, Thanks for posting about this little known battle. Once before Hwy 87 was completely washed away I drove from Crystal Beach cabin all the way to Sabine Pass. I had to drive on sand much of the way. I saw the historical marker there and until that trip never knew how Dowling Street got it's name. I had intended to just drive to see where the Arco High Island crude station was (I worked for Arco/Lyondell) and just kept going east to see how far I could get even though the road was officially closed from the west.

[seamusTX]

You're welcome.

I never knew who Dick Dowling was until today, though his name is on an exit from I-45 northbound in Houston.

- Jim

[puma guy]

You're welcome.

I never knew who Dick Dowling was until today, though his name is on an exit from I-45 northbound in Houston.

- Jim

I think it may be the first street on the east side of "downtown" Houston.

[seamusTX]

I think [Dowling] may be the first street on the east side of "downtown" Houston.

I don't know how you define downtown Houston. I always think of 59 as the east border of downtown. East of there was the kind of territory where you keep your windows rolled up and doors locked and pretend to look straight ahead while turning your eyeballs in impossible directions. But it is being rehabilitated.

Dowling is where I jump off I-45 to get to Elgin, which turns into Westheimer, before getting into the downtown spaghetti bowl and general traffic quagmire.

Dowling south of I-45 is another absolutely splendid neighborhood, though Lt. Dowling had nothing to say about that.

- Jim

[SQLGeek]

Thanks also for sharing. Texas history sure is colorful.

I also have no family history in the Civil War but it is a fascinating, horrible time in our country's history.

[MoJo]

Growing up in Beaumont, we all knew about the battle of Sabine Pass. There was a relic of the battle displayed by the Port of Beaumont, one of the "walking irons" from the Clifton one of the Yankee boats sunk during the battle. It's still on display, it's just been moved to the museum grounds where more people can see it.

The Dick Dowling State Park in Sabine Pass has an annual reenactment of the battle. It was last weekend.

eta: I have no Texas relatives that fought in the War of Northern Aggression. My great, great, grandfather was a plantation owner and Confederate officer from Louisiana though.

[puma guy]

I think [Dowling] may be the first street on the east side of "downtown" Houston.

I don't know how you define downtown Houston. I always think of 59 as the east border of downtown. East of there was the kind of territory where you keep your windows rolled up and doors locked and pretend to look straight ahead while turning your eyeballs in impossible directions. But it is being rehabilitated.

Dowling is where I jump off I-45 to get to Elgin, which turns into Westheimer, before getting into the downtown spaghetti bowl and general traffic quagmire.

Dowling south of I-45 is another absolutely splendid neighborhood, though Lt. Dowling had nothing to say about that.

- Jim

It's probably more my perception than real estate reality. Used to be when you took Pease off I45 the first street was Dowling, now you take Scott/Downtown exit off I45, but Dowling's the first through street intersection. I just always remember when I crossed Dowling I was in "downtown" Houston. Even as a kid when we road the bus from Pasadena down Harrisburg we crossed it and we were "there" and Main Street and Woolworth's and Foley's and especially Kresge's was not far. Kresge's had a basement and I recall seeing surplus Mausers in barrels for less than 20 bucks.