DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker records about Richard Dowling and the men who stood with him at Sabine Pass. Now, Jefferson Davis himself said there was no parallel in ancient or modern warfare. Ancient or modern.
That is a considerable thing to say, and before this story is done, you'll understand why he said it. September the eighth, 1863. Sabine Pass, Texas.
A mud fort — and I do mean mud, not stone, not iron, mud — sits at the edge of the water. Inside it, forty-seven men. Forty-seven.
They are Company F, Texas Heavy Artillery, Jefferson Davis Guards, C.S.A., under the command of Lieutenant Richard W. Dowling. Coming at them from the water: four warships and twelve hundred men of the Federal Army.
You do the arithmetic on those odds and let it sit with you a moment. Now I want you to hear the names of the men who were in that fort, because every one of them deserves to be said out loud. Second Lieutenant N.
H. Smith. Dr.
Geo. H. Bailey.
Patrick Abbott. Michael Carr. Abner R.
Carter. Pat Clair. James Corcoran.
Thomas Daugherty. Hugh Deagan. Michael Delaney.
Dan Donovan. Jno. Drummond.
Michael Eagan. Pat Fitzgerald. James Fleming.
John Flood. William Gleason. Tom Hagerty.
William Hardy. John Hassett. John Hennessey.
James Higgins. Tim Huggins. Tim Hurley.
William L. Jett. Pat Malone.
Alex McCabe. Pat McDonnell. Tim McDonough.
John McGrath. John McKeever. Michael McKernan.
Dan McMurray. Jno. McNealis.
Michael Monoghan. Peter O'Hara. Lawrence Plunkett.
Maurice Powers. Edward Pritchard. Charles Rheins.
Michael Sullivan. Pat Sullivan. Thomas Sullivan.
Mathew Walsh. John T. Westley.
John W. White. Joseph Wilson.
And their lieutenant — Dick Dowling. Forty-seven men. From a mud fort.
Against four warships and twelve hundred. And here is what Dowling himself wrote in his official report — his own words, not mine: they captured two gunboats mounting thirteen guns of the heaviest caliber, and about three hundred and fifty prisoners. Two gunboats.
Thirteen heavy guns. Three hundred and fifty prisoners. With forty-seven men.
He wrote something else in that report, and I want you to hear it straight from him. "All my men behaved like heroes, not a man flinched from his post. Our motto was victory or death." Not a man flinched. The attack was repulsed.
Texas was saved from invasion by the enemy. And Jefferson Davis looked at what happened on that water, on that September day, in that mud fort, and he said — no parallel. Ancient or modern warfare.
No parallel. Texas remembers the faithfulness and valor of her sons, the marker says, and commends their heroic example to future generations. That's you, friend.
That's why we stop here. That's why we say the names.
What the marker says
In memory of Lt. Richard W. Dowling and his men. Texas remembers the faithfulness and valor of her sons and commends their heroic example to future generations. The men who fought Second Lt. N. H. Smith - Dr. Geo. H. Bailey - Patrick Abbott - Michael Carr - Abner R. Carter - Pat Clair - James Corcoran - Thos. Daugherty - Hugh Deagan - Michael Delaney - Dan. Donovan - Jno. Drummond - Michael Eagan - Pat Fitzgerald - James Fleming - John Flood - William Gleason - Tom Hagerty - William Hardy - John Hassett - John Hennessey - James Higgins - Tim Huggins With Lt. Dowling were Tim Hurley - William L. Jett - Pat Malone - Alex McCabe - Pat McDonnell - Tim McDonough - John McGrath - John McKeever - Michl. McKernan - Dan McMurray - Jno. McNealis - Michl. Monoghan - Peter O' Hara - Lawrence Plunkett - Maurice Powers - Edw. Pritchard - Charles Rheins - Michl. Sullivan - Pat Sullivan - Thomas Sullivan - Mathew Walsh - John T. Westley - John W. White - Joseph Wilson Thus it will be seen that we captured with forty-seven men two gunboats mounting thirteen guns of the heaviest caliber and about three hundred and fifty prisoners. All my men behaved like heroes, not a man flinched from his post. Our motto was victory or death. Official report of Lt. Richard W. Dowling. At this site on Sept. 8th, 1863 Dick Dowling and forty-seven men comprising Company F, Texas Heavy Artillery Jefferson Davis Guards C.S.A., from a mud fort repulsed an attack made by four warships and twelve hundred men of the Federal Army thus saving Texas from invasion by the enemy. There is no parallel in ancient or modern warfare to the victory of Dowling and his men at Sabine Pass considering the great odds against which they had to contend. Jefferson Davis