Edward T. Cotham, Jr

January 1, 1970

Group aims to preserve Sabine Pass battleground site
Associated Press

A new group is seeking members to support a historic Civil War battlefield along the Texas-Lousiana state line.

The 58-acre Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Texas includes a statue of Confederate Lt. Dick Dowling and an interpretive pavilion illustrating the story of the Sept. 8, 1863 battle.

Control of the site was transferred from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission.

“With THC’s encouragement, we have now set up Friends of Sabine Pass Battleground to help with the mission of preserving and interpreting the historical events in the Sabine Pass area,” said Texas author and historian Ed Cotham.

During the battle, a fleet of Union gunboats and transports carrying 5,000 troops was turned back by Dowling and 46 men of Company F, 1st Texas Heavy Artillery.

The Confederate force was comprised mostly of Irish dock workers and laborers from Houston and Galveston.

The attacking gunboats fired from the Louisiana channel of the pass and from the Sabine Pass Lighthouse on the Louisiana side of the river.

After about 45 minutes of gunfire, the Union invasion fleet retired. Two gunboats surrendered and 50 Union troops were killed and 350 were captured. The Confederates suffered no casualties.

The Friends group has applied for nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service and is in the process of soliciting charter members. Its annual dues are $25.

“We hope to put out a newsletter and provide public input on the restoration of the battleground and its monuments and markers, many of which were damaged by recent hurricanes,” Cotham said.

Cotham is the author of “Sabine Pass: The Confederacy’s Thermopylae” (University of Texas Press).

The battleground is about 1.5 miles south of the town of Sabine Pass, Texas.

APPLICATION FORM
FRIENDS OF
SABINE PASS BATTLEGROUND


CHARTER MEMBERSHIP - 2009

Please enroll me as a member of the FRIENDS OF SABINE PASS BATTLEGROUND for the current calendar year.

Enclosed is $25 for an individual charter membership for the calendar year. Check or money order should be made payable to FRIENDS OF SABINE PASS BATTLEGROUND and mailed to the address below.


Name___________________________________________
(Please print)

Address____________________________Apt. No._______

City_______________________________Zip___________

Phone Number__________________________________________

E-Mail Address (optional)________________________________________


MAIL TO:
FRIENDS OF SABINE PASS BATTLEGROUND
130 Lena Lane,
Lumberton, Texas 77657


Membership is good for one year (January – December)
FSPB has applied to the IRS for 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status.