The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-04-07
NUMBER 10.
FORTY-TMO IRISHMEN.
THEIR WONDERFUL EXPLOIT AT sABIN
PASS IL THE DAYS OF JEFF DAVIS

SABINE Pass, TEXAS, March 10. 1892 in
looking from the site Of this town toward
the Gulf, the most conspicuous object, next
to the lighthouse on the Louisiana shore. is
the wreck OF the steamship Clifton. She
was burned while running the blockade in
1865, loaded with 600 bales Of Confederate
cotton. Her tilted smoke-stacks and upper
works are a guide to pilots seeking the
dredged chanEel through the soft blue mud
of the outer bar The Clifton formerly be.
longed to the United States Government.
and formed part of the Franklin expedition
which was dispersed September, 1868, by
fOrty-tvo Ir!shmen, fighting under the Con
federate flag. 1t was one of the most mem
orable incidents not only in the history Of
our late war. but in the record of ali wars
At the North this achievement is scarcely
known or remembered while here it is dwelt
upon and retold as though it were a feat
surprising that Of Leonidas and his 300
Spartans. Capt. Stuart, a venerable coast
pilot, while accompanying your correspond
ent on a tour Of inspection down the bav in
the little tugboat Fannie, ciecumstantfaIlv
related, as an eye witness, his IecolIections
Of the affair
The Pass is eight miles long and from
three-quarterS Of a mile to a mile in width.
with depth Of water varying from twelve
to forty-ive feet. Its apacity as a harbor
has recently been brought into prominence
by the number Of railways projected here. -
On the Louisiana side the shore is low and
reedy. while Oh the Texas side there are
several shell ridges and an elevated plateau,
1T a.
once Sabine City. About two miles below
this are the grass grown parapets of a rude
fort known as Fort Griffith. It was in this
earth-work that Lieut.. Dick Dowling, an
Irishman, with two -pounders and a
command of torty-two men, all natives Of
Ireland, lay concealed on the 9th day Of Sep
tember, 1868, when the Federal fleet, COM
posed OF large number of transports and
gunboats, appeared of the mouth of the
Pass.
It is said here that there were L, 900 men
in the expedition, while Dowlings was the
only rebel force in the neighborhood nearer
than Beaumont, on the Neches River, thirty
two miles above. The objects Of the expedi-
tiOn were to cooperate with the movement
of Gen. Banks up the Red River, and to Sc
cure the vast stores Of cotton collected in the
vicinity of the Pass. During the afternoon
a number of gunboats effected a passage
over the bar, and, ascending the hay, vigOI-
ously shelled the shores in all directions, and
at the same time making sounding and mark
ing the main channel with long poles driven
into the mud During this reconnaissance
Dowlng's guns were withdrawn from sight
Secure in the shelter Of bombprOOfs his men
whiled away the time chatting and playing
cards. After the retirement Of the gun
boats, and under cover Of darkness. Dowl-
7 ing's men explored the harbor i'm small boats,
removing the poles and planting them in po-
sitions calculated to misIead.
On the following day the fleet appeared in
grand array, preceded by the gunboat Sach-
en- on the Louisiana side and the transport
Clifton, with over three hundred men on
board, moving along the Texas shore. The
! formidable apneara1rs "f the expedition
and its destructive equipment produced no
panic among the handful Of Irishmen in
Fort Griffith. When the Clifton arrived
within point blank range the twelve pound
ers were instantly brought forth. manned.
and fred. A shot struck the vessel amid
ships. In the furry created by G. Q sudden
attack she went aground A second shot
penetrated and disabled the machinery of
the Sachem, and she drifted heIplesslv
ashore, using her guns without effect. The
engagement lasted but a few minutes: the
commanders Of the Sachem and Clifton
struck their cnlors and the remainder Of the
feet retired down the bay and beyond the
bar.
DOwling's uninjured command was still
kept partly out OF sight TO conceal the small
ness OF its numbers. The Lieutenant him
self went aboard the Clifton to receive the
formal surrender. Its commander. who was
afterward dismissed from the service. ap-
peared on the deck, sword in hand. He re-
quested 20 be Informed Of Dowlfnc's rank
Learning that he was only a Lieutenant. he
said that be could not hand him his sword.
He threw it toward him on the deck. The
Lieutenant refused to pick it m and was
about to go ashore, declaring that he would
blow up all on board in less than Eve min
utes, when the sword was picked up and
formally presented to him. He then retired
to the fort, keeping his guns trained on :he
vessels all day while awaiting the arrival Of
reinforcements to take charge of the prison
ers. About Dlghtfan these arrived. It was
not until the prisoners were all safely land
ed that they were made aware of how small
a force it was to whom they had surrendered. /
The Federal fleet did not re-appear. OF
course the report Of this remarkable exploit
created great rejoicing throughout the Con
federaey and Dowling's company, known as
the Davis Guards. were especially honored
by a resolution Of thanks passed by the Con I
fedeTate Congress. An appropriate bronze 1
medal was struck and distributed to each
member ot the command. JEFF Davis was
made an honorary member of the corps and 1
was likewise decorated with commemora I
i've medal. Dewling's career after the war
was that OF a popular saloon keeper in the
,ity of Houston, where his place was the
common resort of ex-COnfederates and bows /
n blue, many of whom accredited his great I
feat to the glory Of old Ireland rather than 4
20 the cause Of the Confederacy. He died of 1
Fellow fever In 1868.
In 1874 JEFF Davis was a guest Of the 1
State Agricultural Fair in Houston, and was 4
formally visited by the remnant, but I've in I
number, of the Davis Guard. One of these
vas Mike Bowling, brother Of the deceas-
ID hero. Davis received them impressiveIv.
md when be told the boys that his medal 4
lad been taken from bin while a prisonerat 4
Fortress Monroe, Mike stepped forward and 4
earfully pinned his own on the breast of .
he eX-CGnfedeTate chief. They. separated
Ifter glass of poteen all around and many
'voWals OF qualification that the bloody war