| Sabine Pass Battlefield In 1863, during the Civil War, the U.S. Navy made an attempt to invade Texas by sending a fleet of gunboats through the Sabine Pass to gain access to Houston, the rail center of Texas. Guarding Sabine Pass for the Confederates was Fort Griffin, where on Sept. 8, 1863, Lt. Richard "Dick" Dowling and 46 men used six cannons to defeat the Yankee gunboats and stop the invasion. In honor of the Texas defenders, a bronze statue of Dowling overlooks the 57-acre park. Nowadays, fishermen and sightseers walk the edge of the old fort little realizing the intense battle that took place here on that long ago date. |
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| A monument lists the Union casualties of this battle. |
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| The monument to Union casualties with the monument of Lt. Dowling in the background. |
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| Fishermen now hunt their quarry within sight of Lt. Dowling's statue. |
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| Entrance to the battleground with oil drilling equipment visible in the distant background. |
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