The location of a significant Civil War battlefield, Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site tells the story of Confederate Lt. Richard “Dick” Dowling and his 46 men who thwarted a Union assault on Sabine Pass, a primary Texas port for Confederate shipments of supplies and vital to the war effort. In a battle lasting less than an hour, Dowling and his men destroyed two gunboats, resulting in significant casualties and the capture of nearly 350 prisoners. Thanks to their efforts, area ports escaped capture and Union forces never penetrated the Texas interior in the Civil War.