From the Annals of the Civil War –   In 1863, Confederate forces recaptured Sabine Pass opening one of the last ports available to the Confederacy. Sabine Pass controlled access to the Sabine River which divides Texas and Louisiana.  In 1861, the Confederacy constructed a major fort to retain control of the river. Union troops captured the fort in September of 1862 and quickly seized control of the major port of Galveston giving the Union control of most of the Texas coast. In November, Confederate General John Bankhead Magruder was given the daunting assignment of expelling the Union forces from Sabine Pass and Galveston.

Magruder’s forces recaptured Galveston before turning their attention to Sabine Pass.  Magruder’s plan involved fortifying the decks of two Rebel ships, the Bell and the Uncle Ben, with cotton bales. Sharpshooters were placed behind the bales.  The ships approached the two Union ships at the Pass, the Morning Light and the Velocity.  The Rebel ships chased the Union vessels into open water while the sharpshooters injured many Union gunners. The Union ships quickly surrendered reopening the Texas coast for Confederate shipping.