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 Site of Fort Griffin Posted by:  kwashnak
N 29° 43.952 W 093° 52.377
15R E 415579 N 3289467
Marker for fort formerly located at Sabine Pass Battlefield Park, 6100 Dick Dowling Drive, Sabine Pass, TX
Waymark Code: WMQQTJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/20/2016
Views: 12
One of several markers explaining the actions from the Civil War around the Sabine Pass area of Texas at the Sabine Pass Battlefield Park. The park was heavily damaged by Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008), and when the park was rebuilt, many markers were replaced and relocated here.
Marker Number: 10525
Marker Text:
(1863 - 1865)
Renowned for brilliant Civil War victory, Sept. 8, 1863. Confederates in this fort repulsed a fleet seeking to land thousands of Federal soldiers.
Lt. Richard W. Dowling (1838-1867), in civilian life a Houston businessman, commanded fort during enemy assault. His men, mostly Irishmen from Galveston and Houston, had been comrades in arms since Feb. 1861.
Sabine Pass, where Dowling’s men (Co. F, Texas Heavy Artillery) were assigned in 1863, was a center for the blockade-running whereby Confederacy exported cotton and obtained in exchange vital goods such as medicines and arms. Here Co. F built Fort Griffin, named in honor of Lt. Col. W.H. Griffin, Confederate commander at Sabine City. Fort was designed by Col. Valery Sulakowski, formerly of the Austrian Army.
Fort Griffin was an earthwork strengthened with railroad iron and ship’s timbers. It was unfinished when Confederates learned of approach of 22 ships.
Dowling kept watch, but ordered no response to the early shelling by the Federals. When first ships entered range of Fort Griffin’s guns, however, the battle began. Dowling himself served as one of the gunners. The fort sent 137 shells towards the targets. Dowling Monument (near here) tells of the victory.
1969
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
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