San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-04-20
rORTY.TwO FRESHMEN.
=. wo,dsrful Exploit at Sabine Pass In the
fhsif "'- Days or JET Davis.
From the New York sun.


From the New York sun.
canine PASS, Texas, March 10, 1882
tn looking from the site of this town
-nard the Gulf, the most conspicuous
s9 S;sst next to the lighthouse on the
gT.;s;ana shore, is the wreck of the
i.osmship Clifton. She was burned
Ne;,s running the blockade in 1865,
Saed with 600 bales of Confederate
i Do,ton. Her tilted smoke-stacks and
o O~Msr works are guide to pilots seek.
W; ap the dredge channel through the
l S blue mud of the outer bar. The
clifton formerly belonged to the United
Gates Government, and formed part
- tbe Franklin expedition which was
S;snsrs, d in September, 1868, by forty
twa Irishmen, fighting under the Con-
tederate flag. 1t was one of the most
memorable Incidents not only in the
history of our late war, but in the
raoord of all wars. At the North this
aob;evement is scarcely known or re-
membered, while here it is dwelt upon
and retold as though it were feat sur
nassing that of Leonidas and his 300
snartans. Capt. Stuart, o venerable
coast pilot, while accompanying your
correspondent on tour of inspection
down the Day in the little tugboat Fan
n;e circumstantially related, as an eye
witness. his recollections of the affair.
The Pass is eight miles long and from
tbree.uuarters of mile to mile in
width, with a depth of water varying
from twelve to forty-five feet. Its Ca
pacity as harbor has recently been
brought into prominence by the num-
her OF railroads projected here. On
tbe Louisiana side the shore is low and
reedy, while on the Texas side there
are several shell ridges and an elevated
nlateau, upon which are the remains of
what was once Sabine City. About
two miles below this are the grass
grown parapets of a rude fort known
as Fort Griffith. 1t was in this earth
work that Lieut.. Dick Bowling, an
Irishman, with two 12-pounders and
command OF forty-two men, all natives
of Ireland, lay concealed on the 9th
day of September, 1868, when the
Federal fleet, composed of large num-
Der of gunboats and transports, APP
peared off the mouth of the Pass.
It is said that there were $4,000 men
in the expedition, while Dowling's was
the only rebel force in the neighbor-
hood nearer than Beaumont, on the
Neches river, thirty-two miles above.
The objects of the expedition were to
cooperate with the movements of Gen.
Banks up the Red river, and to secure
the vast stores of cotton collected in
the vicinity of the Pass. During the
afternoon q number of gunboats ef-
fected a passage over the bar, and,
ascending the bay, vigorously shelled
the shores in all directions, at the same
time making soundings, and marking
the main channel with long poles driven
down into the mud. During this re-
connoissance Bowling guns were with
drawn from sight. Secure in the shell
ter of bombproofs, his men whiled
away the time chatting and playing
cards. After the retirement of the
gunboats, and under cover of darkness,
Dowling's men explored the harbor in
small boats, removing the poles and
planting them in positions calculated
to mislead.
On the following day the fleet ap-
preached in grand array, preceded by
the gunboat Sachem on the Louisiana
side and the transport Clifton, with
over 800 men on board, moving along
the Texas shore. The formidable ap-
pearance of the expedition and it's de-
structive equipments produced no
panic among the handful of Irishmen
in Fort Griffith. When the Clifton ar
rived at point-blank range the 70
Founders were instantly brought forth,
manned and fred. A shot struck the
vessel amidships. In the furry Gre
ated by the sudden attack she went
aground. A second shot penetrated
and disabled the machinery of the Sa-
chem, and she drifted helpl.ssly
ashore, using her guns without effect.
The engagement lasted but few min
utes. The commanders of the Clifton
and Sachem struck their colors and the
remainder of the feet retired down the
bay and beyond the bar.
Dowling's uninjured command was
eIAl hept partly oub VI SlSnV w SonOO"i
the smallness of its numbers. The
Lieutenant himself went aboard the
Clifton to receive the formal surren-
der. Its commander, who was after
ward dismissed the service, appeared
on the deck sword in hand. He re-
quested to be informed of Dowling's
rank. Learning that he was only a
lieutenant, he said that he could not
hand him his sword. He threw it to-
ward him on the deck. The lieutenant
refused to pick it up, and WIS about to
go ashore, declaring that he would blow
up all on board in less than five min
utes, when the sword was picked up and
formally presented to him. He then
retired to the fort, keeping his guns
trained on the vessel all day while