DUANE
Duane's take
Now, I'm gonna tell you this one just like the official marker lays it out — so hold on, because this story's got riverboats wrapped in cotton going up against Union warships, and it ends better than you'd have any right to expect. By January of 1863, Texas had already seceded from the Union, and the Union had already answered by throwing a naval blockade around the South's ports. Sabine Pass sat close enough to Galveston that both sides recognized it for what it was — a strategic prize worth fighting over.
So Confederate General John B. Magruder, commander of the Confederate Military District of Texas, decided to do something about the two Union sentry warships sitting right there at the Pass. He ordered an assault.
Now here's where it gets good. Magruder's forces didn't have a proper navy. What they had were riverboats.
And somebody — somebody with a mind for improvisation — decided that if you stacked cotton bales around those riverboats, they'd hold up against enemy fire just fine. They called these vessels cottonclads. The two ships in question were the Uncle Ben and the Josiah H.
Bell, and together they carried the official designation the Second Squadron of Magruder's Navy. Bantam fleet. That's what the marker calls them, and I'd say that's being generous.
Major Oscar W. Watkins commanded the Confederate forces. On board the Josiah H.
Bell, you had the Davis Guard of the First Texas Heavy Artillery — an all-Irish unit — serving under Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Dowling. They were manning a Columbiad artillery piece, with sharpshooters from the 2nd Texas Cavalry and Spaight's Battalion backing them up. The Uncle Ben carried additional forces from Spaight's Battalion in much the same capacity.
The battle came on January 21st, 1863. And those cottonclads — those cotton-wrapped riverboats that had no business trading shots with Union warships — seized the initiative. The whole engagement lasted roughly two hours.
The frigate Morning Light was neutralized first. That compelled the Velocity, a converted blockade runner, the lesser-armed vessel of the two, to strike its colors. Surrender.
Union casualties were minimal. But when the smoke cleared, the Confederates had captured two ships, ten thousand dollars worth of supplies, and one hundred and nine Union prisoners of war. Now, the marker is honest about what this meant in the long run.
It only temporarily lifted the Union blockade. And there was a more decisive battle coming later in 1863. But what the battle on January 21st did prove — out there on the water at Sabine Pass, with a bantam fleet wrapped in cotton — was that the Davis Guard had the ability to defend the Texas coast successfully.
Two cotton-wrapped riverboats. Two Union warships. Two hours.
You do the math on who came out ahead.
What the marker says
After Texas seceded from the Union at the onset of the Civil War, the state's ports were included in a Union blockade of the South. The proximity of Sabine Pass to Galveston made it a strategic point for both the Union and Confederacy. In January 1863, Gen. John B. Magruder, commander of the Confederate Military District of Texas, in an attempt to open Sabine Pass for shipping, ordered an assault on the two sentry Union warships. Using "cottonclads," riverboats armored with cotton bales that afforded effective protection from enemy fire, Confederate forces under command of Maj. Oscar W. Watkins engaged the Union blockaders. Consisting of the Uncle Ben and the Josiah H. Bell, this bantam fleet was designated the "Second Squadron of Magruder's Navy." On board the Josiah H. Bell, the Davis Guard of the First Texas Heavy Artillery, an all-Irish unit, served under Lt. Richard "Dick" Dowling. It manned a Columbiad artillery piece, supported by sharpshooters from the 2nd Texas Cavalry and Spaight's Battalion; additional forces from Spaight's Battalion served similar roles on the Uncle Ben. In the ensuing battle on Jan. 21, 1863, the cottonclads seized the initiative, and the engagement lasted roughly two hours. The frigate Morning Light was neutralized first, compelling the lesser-armed Velocity, a converted blockade runner, to strike its colors. Union casualties were minimal, but the battle resulted in the capture of the two ships, $10,000 worth of supplies and 109 Union prisoners of war. Although only temporarily lifting the Union blockade and presaging a decisive battle later in 1863, the battle demonstrated the Davis Guard had the ability to defend the Texas coast successfully. (2006)