Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-12-09
A NOTED BATTLE.

unD re OF soltmarkahle a charc.
ter hat ! believe recital 10y you
nliLe details of the engagement
would prove of general interest at
the praSeht tim. j. u VI
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9, 1898.
The extract referred to does not
indica,ctfom what book it is taken,
other tlan suggested IN the writer's
mssi,e. but it reads as follows:
Sahne Pass, Ttxas.-Septem Der
s, a Feltral fleet numbering ~
vessels aud a force estimated al
10 coo men, attempted TO take
possession Ct S bme river, and at
tackled Font Grigshy, located al
Sabine Pass. and defended by AZ
men of he Davis Guards" two
lieuteusnis and six guns, all nnd'
the command Of Lieutenant Ricl :
ard w. Downing, Captain f. H.
Odlnm being temporarily abseI t.
The result of The battle was that
the heroic defenders of the fort not
only he'd their position, bnt
captured two gJn6oats, disab'ed q
third, took Is guns and large
quantities oi ammunition and stores,
captpred $50 prisoners, hil ed So'
wounded a large number and drov'
the fleet out of the river, wi'hou'
the loss Cf a single man on the''
part or serious damage to the fort
History shows no moIe heroic. hglI
or more glorious victory.
The above is certainly a remark
ahle narration, and, it must he c"u
fes, Ell. iS made up of statemen''
tbat We Of the North are not &C
cusioued to readine. Tie declaia
tions contained in il are so asiound
lug that the narrator has been Il
great pains 10 ascertain the exac
facts in the case. Histories of the
late civil var have been searched
in vain for a confederation Of The
tale. Moore's "RebellioD Records
in Vol. VI among a "Diary OF
Events under date OF April Is
1853 dismlsses the incident re
terIed toWilh these few lines:
"A reconnaissance Of Sabine
Pass, of Texas, was made by Z
paIty tom the rational gUnbost'
lC,uga and New London. Oh
landing near the lighthouse they
were fred on by concealed rebel"
Canaan McDeImott beng killed
and BIS crew Of FIVE men captured
| Captain Reed, of the New London
vas wounded, together with fou
Of lis msu."
Only that and DOthlng more.
Yet, a paipstsklng investigation
of the matter, that has continued
10 This time, waTrapts the state
eut that the words of the extrsc
are undenlahiy true-Only no
strong enOngh-and tie sfOr.
should hereafter figure in al.
talIly written history OF the clvi
conflict.
The student Of the rebellion Q
1S6l-65 who wishes to Obtai
absolutely accurate data regardlnI
that unfortunate internecine strlf
must heuceioIth look to that CON
pllation of the official records G
both the Union and COufederat
armies engaged III the civil wal
and which Is now issued under lh
direction Of the Secretary of Wa
in pursuance Of sn act OF Congress
u,pro,cd June %, 1874. The ur
dertaklng has been a huge one an
| and already over 100 volumes hav
heen issu cd. ana the work is su
incomplete. The records are pub
hshed without comment. The
present cold facts as contained
the correspondence and official o
ders which make up the records (
the rposing forces. The Col
fedeTate documents when obtail
able are given with the same ful
ness and iairlets that chalac, e
ICES the presentation Of the Unio
records. From these authorize
D Al ers the narrator has been 4
abled to cull the story of the +
markable battle of Sabine Pas
Volume XXVI., OF the Offici
records of the rebellion, contains
letter from M~jor General
Bankhead Msgruder from Il
headquarters OF the District
Tex. 9 aud addressed to Brigadi
General w. r. RObbs, chief of sta
at Shreveport, La. IN tue besl
uing of which he ssis:
ga fleet of twenty 1.-TWO stea
transports large sIze) attempted
pass into this river (tbe S'bIne)
tho 9Th inst asI Dredjctel I'm n