The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-06-05
SABINE PASS.
The Discontinue of the Union Fleet and Banks
Texas Expedition.

The Discontinue of the Union Fleet and Banks
Texas Expedition.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
have waited long and patiently, hoping to
hear from some of the 18th corps in the Gulf
department. and particularly from the "tars"
who were at Mobile New Orleans Sabine Pass
and Galveston. Surely they must have some
thing worth telling, even If not very creditable
to our army. / have in my mind a gunboat en-
gagemenb in which l participated, although
not sailor, (for / never was able to tell the
bow from the stern of the vessel was on--lt
being adouble-ender,) which for downright stu
pidity or Encouragement was seldom, II ever,
equaled during the war. On Friday, September
4, 1863 large portion of the 10Th corps amount
ing was told, to about $1,000 mem were or
dered on board transports which were lying III
the river at New Orleans, at which place we
had arrived few days previous from camp near
Thibadeux, La. Few, if any, ofthe rank and hie
knew our destination, but certain snreWd
guessers surmised that it was either Galveston
or Sabine Pass on the Gulf My regiment was
placed on board the transport Belvidere, which,
with the rest of the feet, put OF the same even
ing down the Mississippi. About daylight the
next morning we came to anchor at the mouth
of the river where we lay for several hours; then
up with anchor and headed to the westward,
| while we made ourselves as comfortable as the
hotsun and crowded condition of the deck would
permit Sunday, the 6th companies b and u
and few men from A, + and d, 10Th New York,
We're detailed to go as sharpshooters on the
| gunboat Clifton. A detachment from the l61st
| New York was also sent on the gunboat Sachem
| for the same purpose. The Clifton presented
| quite contrast to the vessel we had just lett,
| her deck being scrubbed to snowy whiteness
| and the guns-of which she carried eight: two
| s-inch guns mounted on pivots at each end OF
the vessel and two 30-pounder Parrot rifles,
one on each side, and four 42s-were BACKED
| and polished until one could almost see his face
On them Company B was assigned the upper
| deck and G the lower gun deck, both OF
which were protected by substantial wooden
| bulYarks four inches thick, breast high, and
| covered on the outside with boiler iron.
| During the day we were in the company OF four
| transports and the gunboats Saehem and Alba
tros. Monday night we arrived of Sabine Pass
but owing to the blockading vessel being away
we kept on our way, after sending up few
rockets, until daybreak, and then turned back
THE ATTACK.
| Soon after the blockader Granite City hove
in sight. During the nigh the whole of our fleet
of scme twenty sail reached the pass AT day
! break of the 9Th we steamed over the bar, after
leaving ali but one of the ships boats with the
! feet and commenced cannOnadiHg the enemy s
| works, consisting of a low earthWork on the
| Texas shore, then over a mile distant, with one
of our PARROT rifles and 9-inch piyots. AS we
wisely Kept silent After firing dozen or
more shots we hauled off and made arrange
ments fer general attack. As there were two
| channels, it was arranged for the Sachem to
| go up the Louisiana, or farther one, and engage
| the enemy, while we, following the Texas
| shore, endeayored to run by the rebel battery.
The Sachem went along finely. throwing
occasional shells from her Whitworth rife,
nearly every one of which burst directly over
| the enemy's works. In the meantime we
had again moved up in range and were making
some fine shots with our forward 9-inch gun,
one shell bursting on the enemy's rampant and
throwing up cloud OF dust and debris. The
Sachen had now reached a point nearly abreast
the fort when a puff of smoke arose from the
enemy's works and a shot whistled over the
heads of the Inflated Sachem's crew. Shot
after shot now followed in quick succession,
one of which passed through the steamers
boiler, filing the boat with the escaping steam
and sealding about thirty of her crew. a great
many jumped overheard to escape the steam.
THE CLIFTON ALSO DISABLED.
Atthis time the Clifton, which had been stand
ing still, was started at full speed up the narrow
and crooked channel, but had proceeded but a
short distance when she ran high and dry on a
sandbar with such force as to almost throw us OF
our feet. The engine was Immediately reversed
, and every means used to get her ahoat, but
without avail The rebels finding the Sachem
disabled now turned their whole attention
to US. The first shot went high over our heads
the next struck the smoke-stack near the top
} another struck our steam dome-fortunately
: above the deck, but deubly crippliHg us. Al
J we were too far of TO use our small arms thu
most of us went to the lower deck but not
until shot had passed through our bulwarks
killing private James Benedict, of company ID
t and wounding several others with splinters
| Meanwhile steady fire was kept up with sucI
, rfe haf, haa
. to use one of the after 81 Founders piece
ofthe bulwarks was blown of, but with but little
3 apparent effect. Grape and canister was nov
0 rafting on us like hail. A 42-pounder sho
4 struck the Clifton forward, MORALLY woundinC
|, a sailor, and then passed diagenally through
7, the machinery and a group of company 81
: men, instantly killing Corporal Hallock Privat,
I Dorr Parker, and mortally woundihg L
: Beardsley. By this time an officer and severa
: men had been killed on other parts of the boat
d and, as further resistance was useless on
e colors were hauled down and white flag ruI
: up in their place. A number of our mel
l. jumped overheard and swan ashore in safety
b with the exception of Privates Bump, of com
G pany q, and f. Alvord, of company b, who wer
: drowned. In short time rebel steamer cam
7 down and towed the Sachem up to Sabine City
r and In about half an hour a cotton-clad came
alongside of us and attempted to pull the Clifton
: of, but failed Wewere then ordered en- board O
u the former ana were landed at the city Shor
d distance above the fort, of which we had a goot
view. 1t was the rudest kind of defence entirel,
q open On the rear and defended by the Shields
d Guards, consisting of forty men. All the gun
9 ] could see were two 42s and two or three bras
i feld-pieces. During the afternoon we were pu
on board rickety old steamer called the Roebucl
L and started up Sabine Lake for the interior O
!, Texas. AS we turned for last look at tn
= "old flag" some of the feet were alread
o under way and the rest making all haste TO
q New Orleans. On the return they encountere
Q a storm, in which quantities of stores and al
3 the mules belonging to a battery were throw
overheard. 1t has been problem to me VIII
our boats were taken from us with them W
n might easily have landed and capturedthe plac.
a If the boats were for the purpose of landin
e troops from the feet, why that was not don,
q when single regiment might have redeeme
~ the day, is for the one in command of the Ell
d petition 10 answer. Thus ended Banks fir
"a invasion Of Texas. The second, up the Re
a River, proved full as fruitful to the rebel arm
sending some 1000 prisoners to keep us CON
,s pany at Tyler, and strewing Red River with th
Il wrecks of Union gunboats.
q 8. 81. WRIGHT,
n 18th N. Y. YeIx.
n BRIDGEPORT, CoNH.
r Corps and Division Badges.
/ ~ Al. L n