Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is located in
Jefferson County, Texas
Jefferson County is a county in the Coastal Plain or Gulf Prairie region of Southeast Texas. The Neches River forms its northeast boundary. As of the 2020 census, the population was 256,526. The county seat is Beaumont. Jefferson County has ...
, where the
Sabine River enters the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
. The site is the location of a significant
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
battle.
In September 1863, members of the Davis Guard—led by Confederate Lt.
Richard "Dick" Dowling—held off a Union attack at
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
History Civil War
Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and ...
, a key port for Confederate shipments of supplies. In a
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
lasting less than an hour, Dowling and his men destroyed two gunboats, captured nearly 350 prisoners, and prevented
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
forces from penetrating the Texas interior.
Today, the site is operated as a historic site by the
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas.
The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic L ...
. Features include the 1936 statue honoring Dowling's feats, a monument dedicated to the Union casualties, outdoor educational exhibits, and a scale model of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
-era fort and battle.
See also
*
List of Texas state historic sites
Official historic sites of the state of Texas may be under the supervision of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC).
;Key
Sites with multiple historic designations are colored according to their ...
*
Fort Manhassett
Fort Manhassett was a group of earthen fortifications that guarded the western approaches to Sabine City, Texas during the American Civil War, operating in service of the Confederate Army from October 1863 to May 1865.
Background
By the time Fo ...
*
Leon Smith (naval commander)
*
Anaconda Plan
The Anaconda Plan is the name applied to a strategy outlined by the Union Army for suppressing the Confederacy at the beginning of the American Civil War. Proposed by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, the plan emphasized a Union blockade ...
References
External links
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Texas state historic sites
Protected areas of Jefferson County, Texas
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