Coordinates: 29°43′13.85″N 93°52′14.69″W / 29.7205139°N 93.8707472°W / 29.7205139; -93.8707472, For the 1862 battle in the same location, see, This Fort Griffin is not the 1867 post-Civil War U.S. Army cavalry frontier post, List of conflicts involving the Texas Military, Awards and decorations of the Texas Military, Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae, Battle of Mouth of Sabine River, September 8th, 1863. Leon Smith, who was at Beaumont, Texas, immediately ordered all Confederate troops in Beaumont, some eighty men, aboard the steamer Roebuck and sent them down the river to reinforce Fort Griffin. Troops from Fort Griffin, including units of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tonkawa scouts, participated in all the decisive campaigns that ended Kiowa and Comanche domination of northern Texas. The cited contemporary U.S. Army map shows the nominal positions of the bombardment fleet of four, the seven ships of the transport squadron, and the relative position farther out in the Gulf of the remaining vessels. Smith and a Captain Good rode to the fort on horseback, reaching the fort some three hours before the steamer, arriving just as the Union gunboats USS Clifton and Sachem came within range, and assisted in the defense of the fort.[8][1][9][10][11]. Troops from Fort Griffin, including units of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tonkawa scouts, participated in all the decisive campaigns that ended Kiowa and Comanche domination of northern Texas. about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of the river mouth. The only obstacle was the rough earthwork fortification known locally as Fort Griffin and defended by a battery of Confederate artillery of forty-seven men commanded by Lt. Richard W. Dowling, an Irish barkeeper from Houston. The U.S. Army's invasion plan, therefore, absolutely required that the Confederate guns be silenced before any troops were debarked. W. T. Block, A History of Jefferson County, Texas, from Wilderness to Reconstruction (M.A. However, a statue and a plaque at Sabine Pass Battleground State Historical Park mark what is thought to have been the site of the fort. Although unimpressive to Union observers and scouts, the fort's gun positions were high enough to afford a clear view to the horizon for many miles: the flat marshlands stretched northeastward into Louisiana, westward toward Houston, southwestward toward Galveston, northward toward Port Arthur and Beaumont, and southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. Support the Handbook today. The Battle of Sabine Pass was of moderate tactical or strategic significance to the Civil War. Besides Clifton, Crocker's advance squadron included Granite City, Sachem, and Arizona, all recently commissioned ironclad warships. If you are renting a campsite, the per day entrance fees are in addition to the campsite fees. The company-size initial landing force was to then take Sabine City and secure the area for the main force. / The Confederacy was therefore forced to continue its reliance on blockade running to import valuable materials and resources. Erosion and the channelization of Sabine Pass have removed evidence of Fort Griffin's exact location. At the battle of Sabine Pass Lt. Richard Dowling and a forty-six-man garrison, with two of their six guns put out of action, disabled two of the attacking vessels and scattered the remainder of the Union ships. The Regiment took posts in the Indian Territory in 1875. Fort Sabine had been renamed "Fort Griffin" in honor of an earlier commander, Confederate Lt. In September 1863 four Union gunboats, leading a strong amphibious invasion force, attacked Fort Griffin. The six performances, which occur on the last two weekends in June, are attended by more than 10,000 people each year. From 1876 to 1885, thousands of Texas longhorns carved the Great Western Cattle Trail from San Antonio, through Fort Griffin, and on to Dodge City, Kansas. In May 1881, the U.S. Army determined that Fort Griffin was no longer necessary for defense and the post was abandoned. Click on any image to view the photo gallery. However, a statue and a plaque at Sabine Pass Battleground State Historical Park mark what is thought to have been the site of the fort. Note: Entrance fees are per day. The white-painted stakes were for determining accurate range of the fort's guns: six old smooth-bore cannon. There's some spooky history here in Texas. The Second Battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863) was a failed Union Army attempt to invade the Confederate state of Texas during the American Civil War. The few maps to which they had access were old and outdated or could not account for recent changes in river-bottom conditions. The Union had effected its Capture of New Orleans on May 1, 1862, and after the July 3, 1863 surrender of Confederate Vicksburg, the Union military had better control of both the east and west banks and of the mouth of the Mississippi. Through careful management and breeding, only animals showing the truest longhorn characteristics are retained in the herd. Colonel W. H. Griffin, although this was not shown on Union maps since the First Battle of Sabine Pass in late September 1862. With thirty engineers and 500 slaves Kellersberg constructed a triangular fort on an eminence overlooking the Sabine River. Day, James M. (1965) "Leon Smith: Confederate Mariner," East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. Leon Smith, who was at Beaumont, Texas, immediately ordered all Confederate troops in Beaumont, some eighty men, aboard the steamer Roebuck and sent them down the river to reinforce Fort Griffin. First designated as Camp Wilson, the name of the post was changed to Fort Griffin in honor of Gen. Charles Griffin, the commander of the Department of Texas who died of yellow fever the previous September in an epidemic sweeping Galveston. On Captain Crocker's signal the Sachem, followed by Arizona, advanced up the right channel (Louisiana side) as fast as they dared, firing their port-side guns at the fort. France was openly sympathetic to the Confederate States of America early in the Civil War, but never matched its sympathy with diplomatic or military action. Dowling's well practiced Irish-Texan artillerymen, whose chosen and officially approved unit name was "Jefferson Davis Guards", had placed range-stakes in the two narrow and shallow (5-to-7 feet or 1.5-to-2.1 m) river channels. Then Clifton came into range, followed by Arizona. The military Federal force was commanded by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, a political general with little discernible command ability. Ages 6-18 The Confederates had no casualties. The installation housed six gun emplacements and bombproofs built into a sawtooth front, and timber and railroad iron reinforced the earthwork position. No thank you, I am not interested in joining. Official State of Texas Longhorn at Fort Griffin. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Despite their old smoothbore cannon, one of which had just become inoperable, after only a few rounds it was obvious the Confederate artillerymen's months of training and target practice was an astounding success as their aim was deadly accurate. Remnants of the fort remain today at Fort Griffin State Historic Site, which is also home to the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd and offers camping, fishing, hiking, stargazing, and living history.. Each "Davis Guards" gun crew during gunnery practice thereby worked to predetermine the approximate charge (amount of gunpowder) needed for each type projectile available for their specific gun (ball, canister, or grapeshot); and which specific guns, charges, and loads had the best potential to hit each range-stake. This was a flat, often muddy area already cleared of brush by the Confederate garrison as a clear field of fire for the canister and grape of the fort's artillery. 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