47 vs. 5,000: The Incredible Confederate Defense at Sabine Pass

Union Naval Officers Belt & Confederate Texas Star

The Second Battle of Sabine Pass, fought on September 8, 1863, was a minor engagement in scale but a major Confederate victory in both morale and strategic consequence. Despite being heavily outnumbered, a small Confederate force successfully repelled a Union invasion aimed at cutting off Texas from the rest of the Confederacy. The battle exemplifies how tactical preparedness, advantageous geography, and determined leadership can alter the course of military operations, even when the odds seem overwhelmingly unfavorable.

During the American Civil War, the Union pursued the Anaconda Plan — a strategy aimed at encircling and economically strangling the Confederacy. The Gulf Coast, particularly Texas, was a crucial target due to its ports and supply lines that linked the Confederacy with foreign trade, especially through Mexico. By mid-1863, with victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg under its belt, the Union looked to assert further control over the Trans-Mississippi region.

Sabine Pass, located at the Louisiana-Texas border, was a vital waterway that gave access to the interior of Texas. The Union aimed to capture the pass and establish a foothold in southeastern Texas, thereby cutting Confederate supply routes and possibly influencing French-controlled Mexico's diplomatic posture toward the Confederacy.

Under the command of Major General William B. Franklin, the Union assembled an expeditionary force consisting of roughly 5,000 soldiers transported by a flotilla of twenty-two vessels, including gunboats and troop transports. The objective was to land forces at Sabine Pass, neutralize the Confederate fortifications, and advance inland to seize key Texas towns such as Beaumont and Houston.

Opposing this formidable force was a garrison of just 47 Confederate soldiers, all members of the Jefferson Davis Guards, a company of the Texas Heavy Artillery. They were commanded by Lieutenant Richard W. Dowling, an Irish immigrant with a background in business and militia training.

These men occupied Fort Griffin, a modest earthen fort equipped with six old but functional cannons. Despite their small number, Dowling's men had spent months drilling with their artillery and were intimately familiar with the channels and terrain of Sabine Pass, which were narrow and treacherous for large vessels.

On the afternoon of September 8, 1863, four Union gunboats advanced up the channel to silence Fort Griffin and clear the way for troop landings. However, their movements were hindered by the narrow, winding waterway and hidden obstructions placed by the Confederates.

As the Union vessels approached, the Confederate artillerymen opened fire with deadly accuracy. Within a short time, they scored multiple direct hits on the USS Clifton and USS Sachem, disabling both and causing heavy casualties. The remaining Union vessels withdrew under fire, unable to support a landing or rescue the grounded ships.

The entire engagement lasted less than an hour. No Confederate soldiers were killed or seriously injured, while the Union suffered over 50 casualties and the capture of two gunboats and around 350 soldiers. The remaining Union forces retreated in disarray, abandoning the invasion