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Tuesday, September 8 1863

A large force of Union troops assaulted Fort Sumter; but were repulsed, leaving in the hands of the Rebels a large number of prisoners

General Nathaniel Banks had important work to do: retake the Texas cities of Beaumont and Houston. To accomplish this, he assembled four ships, gunboats and troop transports, and set off. To get to his destination required him to get by Sabine Pass, on the Texas-Louisiana border. There was only a feeble force of forty Confederates, with some earthworks and guns, to stop him. This force, commanded by Lieutenant Richard William "Dick" Dowling, along with a couple of "cottonclad" gunboats under General John Bankhead Magruder, did exactly that. They sank the two lead gunboats and forced their crews to surrender, and drove off the rest of the invasion force with heavy losses. Banks was humiliated and fit to be tied. His superiors were not exactly thrilled with his performance either.

The joint Army-Navy attack on Sabine Pass opened as the USS Clifton, under Acting Lieutenant Crocker, crossed the bar and unsuccessfully attempted to draw the fire of the fort and cottonclad steamer CSS Uncle Ben. Clifton was followed across the bar by the USS Sachem, Arizona, Granite City, and Army transports. Sachem and Arizona advanced up the Louisiana (Right) channel and Clifton and Granite City moved up the Texas (Left) channel; they opened on the Confederate batteries preparatory to landing the troops. The Confederate gunners withheld fire until the gunboats were within close range and then countered with a devastating cannonade. A shot through the boiler totally disabled the Sachem, another shot away the wheel rope of Clifton and she grounded under the Confederate guns. Crocker fought his ship until, with 10 men killed and nine others wounded, he deemed it his duty "to stop the slaughter by showing the white flag, which was done, and we fell into the hands of the enemy." Sachem, after flooding her magazine, also surrendered and was taken under tow by the CSS Uncle Ben. With the loss of Clifton's and Sachem's firepower, the two remaining gunboats and troop transports recrossed the bar and departed for New Orleans. The Sabine Pass expedition had, in the words of Commodore H. H. Bell, "totally failed." Nevertheless, Major General Banks reported: "In all respects the cooperation of the naval authorities has been hearty and efficient. Fully comprehending the purposes of the Government, they entered upon the expedition with great spirit. Commodore Bell gave all the assistance in his power, and Captain Crocker, of the Clifton, now a prisoner, deserves especial mention for his conspicuous gallantry." In a vote of thanks to the small defending garrison for the victory which prevented "the invasion of Texas," the Confederate Congress called the action "one of the most brilliant and heroic achievements in the history of this war."

The United States gunboats Clifton and Sachem were captured by the Confederates at Sabine Pass, Louisiana, being disabled by the fire from the fortifications on shore. They were operating for the landing of a column of United States troops under Major General Franklin, to be employed in a movement against Louisiana and Texas. In consequence of the failure at this point, the movement was abandoned.

Chattanooga was evacuated by the Confederates, who retreated to the south.

The bombardment of Fort Moultrie, by the monitors Nahant, Montauk, Patapsco, and Lehigh, was renewed and continued during the first half of the day. A house on Sullivan's Island was set on fire by the shells.

The Washita River expedition, consisting of the greater part of General Logan's old brigade, a regiment of cavalry, and a battery of artillery, returned to Vicksburg from the portion of Louisiana lying adjacent to Washita River. No organized force of the rebels could be found. The detour was made to the north-west, in direction of the village of El Dorado, Ark. A large number of rebel soldiers came voluntarily into the Union lines and surrendered.

The large Federal force at Bath, Virginia, composed of a portion of two companies of Colonel Wynkoop's Seventieth Pennsylvania cavalry, was attacked this morning at three o'clock by a party of Confederates, who were repulsed and driven off.

At Baltimore, Maryland, General Schenck issued an order suppressing the substitute business in Maryland and in his department, it having been found that the agencies for procuring substitutes to go out of the State and department interfered with the operation of the draft and recruiting.

This post was edited on 9/15/13 at 9:12 am