Sabine Pass

The Confederacy's Thermopylae

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, State & Local, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book Sabine Pass by Edward T., Jr. Cotham, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Edward T., Jr. Cotham ISBN: 9780292782464
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Edward T., Jr. Cotham
ISBN: 9780292782464
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

In an 1882 speech, former Confederate president Jefferson Davis made an exuberant claim: "That battle at Sabine Pass was more remarkable than the battle at Thermopylae." Indeed, Sabine Pass was the site of one of the most decisive Civil War battles fought in Texas. But unlike the Spartans, who succumbed to overwhelming Persian forces at Thermopylae more than two thousand years before, the Confederate underdogs triumphed in a battle that over time has become steeped in hyperbole. Providing a meticulously researched, scholarly account of this remarkable victory, Sabine Pass at last separates the legends from the evidence.

In arresting prose, Edward T. Cotham, Jr., recounts the momentous hours of September 8, 1863, during which a handful of Texans—almost all of Irish descent—under the leadership of Houston saloonkeeper Richard W. Dowling, prevented a Union military force of more than 5,000 men, 22 transport vessels, and 4 gunboats from occupying Sabine Pass, the starting place for a large invasion that would soon have given the Union control of Texas.

Sabine Pass sheds new light on previously overlooked details, such as the design and construction of the fort (Fort Griffin) that Dowling and his men defended, and includes the battle report prepared by Dowling himself. The result is a portrait of a mythic event that is even more provocative when stripped of embellishment.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In an 1882 speech, former Confederate president Jefferson Davis made an exuberant claim: "That battle at Sabine Pass was more remarkable than the battle at Thermopylae." Indeed, Sabine Pass was the site of one of the most decisive Civil War battles fought in Texas. But unlike the Spartans, who succumbed to overwhelming Persian forces at Thermopylae more than two thousand years before, the Confederate underdogs triumphed in a battle that over time has become steeped in hyperbole. Providing a meticulously researched, scholarly account of this remarkable victory, Sabine Pass at last separates the legends from the evidence.

In arresting prose, Edward T. Cotham, Jr., recounts the momentous hours of September 8, 1863, during which a handful of Texans—almost all of Irish descent—under the leadership of Houston saloonkeeper Richard W. Dowling, prevented a Union military force of more than 5,000 men, 22 transport vessels, and 4 gunboats from occupying Sabine Pass, the starting place for a large invasion that would soon have given the Union control of Texas.

Sabine Pass sheds new light on previously overlooked details, such as the design and construction of the fort (Fort Griffin) that Dowling and his men defended, and includes the battle report prepared by Dowling himself. The result is a portrait of a mythic event that is even more provocative when stripped of embellishment.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Ritual and Power in Stone by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Mexican Women in American Factories by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Kuna Art and Shamanism by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Spanish Memory Book by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book The United States and the Atlantic Community by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book The Best American Newspaper Narratives, Volume 2 by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Afro-Mexico by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book The Cardinal by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Literary Bondage by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book The Ironic Hume by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Reinventing Practice in a Disenchanted World by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Folk-Songs of the Southern United States by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Gabriel García Moreno and Conservative State Formation in the Andes by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book Defending the Land of the Jaguar by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
Cover of the book The Chora of Metaponto 4 by Edward T., Jr. Cotham
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy