Fort Sabine

During the Civil War, the Sabine Pass Channel was a strategic gateway to the interior of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, control of which was vital. Fearing a possible Union invasion, the citizens of Sabine City (later Sabine Pass) formed a “Committee of Safety” in April 1861. The primary responsibility of the committee was to build a fort along the channel and to arm it with guns capable of defending their city against union naval assault. Local residents, including many slaves, constructed a dirt and timber earthwork overlooking the channel. The fort was garrisoned by the Sabine Pass Guard, a local militia, and later by the 6th Texas Infantry Battalion and members of Spaight’s 11th Battalion, Texas Volunteers. On Sept. 24, 1862, the Union steamer USS Kensington, along with schooners USS Rachel Seaman and USS Henry Janes attacked. Fort Sabine suffered extensive damage. At the time of the attack, Confederate forces manning Fort Sabine numbered approximately 60. Coupled with the effects of yellow fever among troops and citizens, C.S.A. Major Josephus S. Irvine ordered the fort’s guns spiked and the site evacuated. Union forces mastered the earthworks at Fort Sabine, occupying the immediate area for months before abandoning the site in early 1863. In March 1863, Confederate forces inspected and determined that Fort Sabine was no longer an effective defensive position. Lessons learned from Fort Sabine impacted the construction of a new site, Fort Griffin, positioned along the channel about one mile north. Two reactivated 32-pound guns from Fort Sabine were installed at Fort Griffin prior to the historic second battle of Sabine Pass on September 8, 1863. (2013)

Fort Sabine is a historical marker in Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, dedicated in 2013. It is one of 109 historical markers documented in Jefferson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 137 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.7346, -93.8940 near Sabine Pass. The nearest cataloged historic site is City of Sabine and Sabine Pass (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include 1886 Hurricane at Sabine Pass, Spaight's 11th Battalion, and Beach Road (State Highway 87).

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507017600. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.