The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1908-02-06
The Battle of Sabine Pass.
(BY w. J. SMITH

i
In the spring of 1864 Gen,
Banks, commanding the Depart.
ment of the Gulf, with head.
quarters at New Orleans.
planned to crush the Confederate
army under Gems. Kirby, Smith
and Dick Taylor, who were hold
ing the country between the Red
river and the Texas line. With
a large force and a fleet of gun
boats to guard his transports. he
led them up the river. He also
sent an expedition by way of the
guilt to land on the shore of Sa-
blne Lake and come in the rear of
the Confederates. This consisted
OF three gunboats and a number
OF transports carrying 10000
men. To get into the lake they
had to pass through a narrow
strip Of water known as Sabine
Pass, which was only three or
tour hundred yards wide. At it's
mouth the Confederates had
thrown up small mud fort. It
was armed with a few six-pound-
ers and a siege gun. Gen. Smith
had sent Capt. Richard Bowling
and 40 men to man this fort,
giving them orders to delay the
fleet as long as he could, never
thinking that he could do any
more.
Gen. Banks delivered his at
tack on time, and listened in
vain for the firing in the rear of
the Confederates. He was de-
feated in two battles, and his
army driven in great confusion
back to the Red river.
The Red river is very treach-
erous stream, and had fallen
very fast during his absence,
and on his return he found that
a bar had formed below where
his fleet was stationed, and that
they could not float over it.
Knowing that if he failed to get
away by water he would be cap
tured, losing both fleet and
army, he was on the eve of leav-
ing his boats and trying to es-
cape by land. This he never
could have done, as the Confed-
crates could easily have gotten
between him and the Mississippi
river.
At this juncture a young engi-
neer told Gen. Banks that if he
would lend him the army for a
few hours he thought he could
save the boats. Gen. Banks con-
sented. On the banks of the
river was a large sugar mill.
This was torn down and with the
brick and lumber he built a wing
dam, forcing the water into a
narrow channel through which
the boats all passed. We will
now turn to the expedition that
had passed out by the way of the
Gulf of Mexico. Bowling and
his little band saw the big fleet
coming and must have felt as
though they had but small
chance against such numbers,
but his orders were to fight to
the last. He trained his guns
and told his men not to fire until
the foremost boat came opposite
the fort and then fire the entire
battery into it. The gunboats
shelled the little fort, but on see
ing no one and no resistance they
came on. When they REACHED
the proper place Dowling's or
ders were carried out, and down
went the first boat to the bottom
of the pass, with all on board.
He then trained his guns on the
next and sank it. The third
gunboat steamed away, followed
by the entire fleet, except one
transport, carrying 1000 men.
It had come SO near the fort, and
fearing that they might share
the same fate of the gunboats,
ran up the white flag and surren-
dered. Capt. Bowling had only
a canoe, and padded out, re-
ceived their surrender and then
paroled them. It was out of his
power to guard so many men
with his small force.
But for the sugar houses
standing where they did Banks
and his army would have been
captured, New Orleans captured,
and like the battle of Kings
Mountain during the Revolution
airy war, it might have proven
the turning point for the South.
Nothing remains to tell of this
wonderful fight but the remnant
of the little fort over which is
posted a sign that reads: Fort