The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-02
BATTLE SABINE PASS
FOUGHT SEPTEMBER 8, 1853 BY
THE DAVIS GUARDS.
GALLANT DICK BOWLING
First Lieutenant, Commanded the Heroic
Band-Havoc Belched from Fort
Grigby-Federal Fleet Defeated.
Remarkable Achievement.

Houston, Tex, March UT was on
January I, 1868, that the Federal forces
at Galveston were defeated by General
J. B. Magruder, and encouraged by this
success. he determined to fortify all
points on the Texas coast. A fort was
built at Sabine Pass in August. 1868. 1t
was called Fort Grigby. 1t consisted Of
a simple earthwork barely large enough
to mount six guns, and was built on the
pass about mile from the town. The
armament consisted of old United States
guns. which had been condemned and
were available only at short range. one
and half miles at the utmost On ALL
gust 20, 1863 the Davis Guards, a gal
liant company of Irshnn, commanded
by Captain F. A. Odlun1, were ordered
to take up quarters near the fort, where
the men were soon engaged in mounting
guns. These consisted Of two 32-pound
ers two 24-poundrs and two 24-pounder
mountain howitzers. The last were put
: in place on September 6 during the
night. The garrison consisted of the
Davis Guards, Lieutenant n. H. Smith
: OF the engineering corps, and DR.. J. H.
! Bailey, surgeon of Daily's regiment, who
hal been made post surgeon. First
Lieutenant R. w. Bowling commanded
the Davis Guards, as Captain Odlum
was in command at the town of Sabine,
where he could be in constant commune
cation with the military headquarters at
Houston. There were in all forty-one
OF the Davis Guards, exclusive of the
commander { list printed elsewhere
shows forty-two but Peter O'Hara, who
was a member of the Guards and whose
name appears on the roster. was sick at
the hospital and did not participate in
the hgit} ~~
About 10 am. OF the morning of Sep
te1lbe- :. five Federal gunboats and FIVE
transports were sighted from the south
dcw1r the number kept increasing until
the greater part Of General Franklin's S
fleet CT twenty ships appeared off the
bar. At daylight on the morning of
September several of the vessels came
over the bar, the Clifton approaching
near enough to- open fire. Her first
alt -, I-+ of 41,,
Guards while they were cooking break
fast. The Clifton fired twenty shots,
and her example was followed by the
other vessels. but none of the shots took
effect. Before 10 am the entire fleet,
excepting three vessels. was in the pass,
the gunboats all engaged in steling the
f~st The bonlbard11er7t continued until
J pm, at which tome some of the vessels
: approached yer" close to the fort,
f.!n which. tip to this time not a shot
'3?I been fired. Captain Odlun, from
sabine Pass, had in the meantime noti-
fed General Magruder Of the approach
of the formidable fleet General Ma
gruder sent orders to spike the guns,
blow up the fort and retire to Tay1or's
bayou, and there attempt to hold the
enemy in check When these orders
were conveyed to Lieutenant Bowling
he addressed his men, asking if they
wanted to spike the guns and retreat.
With loud cry of indignation they
said: No! We prefer to fight while
there is detachment to man the guns
About this time the Federal gunboats
all opened fire at once The Sachem
was about a mile distant from the fort
She was closely followed by the Gran
ite State, and upon these two vessels the
fort opened fire. At the second round
ball from one of the 32-pounders en-
tered the steam chest Of the Sachem,
causing an explosion, badly scalding the
men and creating such CONSERVATION that
inearly all jumped overheard, many dy-
ing as soon as they struck the water;
others swan ashore, on the Louisiana
side and were picked up by the trans
ports, The Sachem being thus den1olisf-
led, the guns of the fort we're turned on
the Granite State the first shot disabling
her so that she dropped her colors and
swung across the channel. Meantime
the Clifton, with eighteen gnns, carrying
the commodore's flag, approached close to
the fort. The Clifton was so low in the
water and so pear that it was necessary
to dig away some of the breastworks in
order to bring the guns to bear upon her.
This was effected at great risk, but not
"a life was lost The shot and shell
rained down upon the vessel with such
effect that in an incredibly short time
not less than fifty men ON board had