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Posted on 02/04/2004 12:00:11 AM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.
Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different veteran each Wednesday. The "ordinary" Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who participated in the events in our Country's history. We hope to present events as seen through their eyes. To give you a glimpse into the life of those who sacrificed for all of us - Our Veterans.
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and the Battle of Sabine Pass On September 8, 1863, at Sabine Pass, Texas, Lt. Richard W. Dowling and the Davis Guard defeated the forces of General Nathaniel P. Banks and Admiral G. Farragut under the command of General William G. Franklin in a Confederate victory described by President Jefferson Davis as being "without parallel in ancient or modern warfare."  General Banks, commander of the Department of the Gulf, placed 15,000 men for this campaign under the immediate command of General Franklin who sailed August 29, 1863, from New Orleans with 5,000 soldiers on 18 transports of various types. The westward bound convoy was escorted by four heavily armed gunboats; the Cliffon, Sachem, Arizona and Granite City. Franklin was to sail up the Sabine Pass, land in the vicinity of Sabine City, advance to Beaumont seizing the railroad, and take Houston and Galveston from the North. The additional 10,000 men left in reserve would be brought from New Orleans to overcome all resistance in Texas. The poorly defined Union rendezvous at the mouth of Sabine Pass was discovered and the act of surprise was lost. By September 6, the Confederate defenders knew a large Union force was approaching and although the Davis Guard had permission to withdraw, they decided to defend the earthen fort. Because Captain Odlum was acting as area commander in Sabine City, actual command at Fort Griffin fell to his young lieutenant, Richard W. (Dick) Dowling.  Admiral David G. Farragut The defending Confederates watched the Union gunboats advance up the Pass during the night of September 7. Next morning the Union guns shelled Fort Griffin, but Dowling withheld his fire until midafternoon when the attacking Sachem was only 1200 yards away. With one of their first rounds, the Davis Guard disabled the Sachem and then shifted fire to the Clifton. In 45 minutes the two vessels surrendered and the remaining Union gunboats and transports fled in panic to the Gulf and to New Orleans. The Davis Guard suffered no casualties; the invading forces lost about 50 killed and 350 prisoners. The incredible success of the Davis Guard gave heart to the Confederate forces. Dick Dowling and his men received commendation from their commanding generals, the Confederate Congress and President Davis. Texas remained an active state in the Confederacy.  Lt. Richard W. Dowling, CSA The young commander of Fort Griffin during the 1863 Battle of Sabine Pass, Richard William Dowling, was born near Tuam, County Galway, Ireland in January of 1837. In 1846, the Dowling (originally O'Dowling ) family, fleeing poverty and hoping for a better life, sailed for America and took up residence in New Orleans. In 1853, a yellow fever epidemic claimed Dowling's mother and father. Four of the five children moved to Texas and eventually settled in Houston around 1855. Young Dick Dowling was soon to make a name for himself. By the age of nineteen, grown handsome and charismatic, Dowling opened a two-story saloon and billiards parlor on Main Street. Due to his progressive business practices, "The Shades" was very successful. In 1860, he sold his interests in it, invested in a Galveston liquor importing business, and opened the "Bank of Bacchus" saloon on Courthouse Square. He also operated an informal finance and pawn brokerage on the premises, cashing checks and making loans. Dowling soon came into possession of his third public house, "Hudgepeth's Bathing Saloon", as a result of a debt owed him. Dowling often tended bar at his various establishments and enjoyed inventing new cocktails. He was jovial and popular and was respected in the community. He held membership in several civic organizations and a Houston volunteer fire company. In 1859, he joined a local militia company, the Houston Light Artillery. When this unit disbanded in 1860, many of its members organized the Davis Guard, named for US Senator Jefferson Davis.  Davis guards - Reenactors The all-Irish Davis Guard was mustered into Confederate service as an independent infantry company. It was commanded by Captain Fred Odlum, his wife's uncle, and Dowling was appointed first-lieutenant. In February of 1861, the Davis Guard was sent to Galveston and combined with other companies under the command of Colonel John S. "Rip" Ford. This force then sailed to Brownsville to take over the federal garrisons on the Mexican Border. During this time, disputes broke out between Ford and Odlum over the treatment of his men, and, amid claims of discrimination against Irish-Catholics, the Davis Guard returned to Houston in late March of 1861. In October of 1861, the Guard was assigned to Company F, Third Texas Artillery Battalion and manned the big seacoast guns around Galveston. A year later they were reassigned as Company F, First Texas Heavy Artillery Regiment, and were trained personally by Colonel Joseph J. Cook. The Irish volunteers learned their lessons well, becoming crack artillerists. On the first day of 1863, Dowling and his comrades were designated as the first wave in an assault on the Forty-second Massachusetts Infantry and a four gun battery of the Second Vermont Artillery barricaded on Kuhn's Warf during the Battle of Galveston. The Davis Guard waded out to the wharf under heavy fire, but the attack was unsuccessful because their scaling ladders were too short. There were four casualties, including one fatality.  Upon the recapture of Galveston by the Confederates, the Davis Guard was sent to Fort Griffin, a timber-shored earthwork on the low muddy banks of Sabine Pass, where the Neches and Sabine Rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico. A few days after their arrival, the guard was ordered to serve as gunners on board two cotton-clad steamers sent out to attack two Federal blockaders that were menacing local shipping. Dowling and a picked crew manned the 8-inch Columbiad on Board the CSS Josiah H. Bell as it steamed out accompanied by the CSS Uncle Ben. A twenty mile running artillery duel ensued, ending with the capture of the USS Velocity, the USS Morning Light, and their cargoes of much needed supplies. The Davis Guard spent the next several months improving the fortifications at Fort Griffin and at drill. Armaments at the fort were obsolete; two 32-pounder smoothbores, two 24-pounder smoothbores, and two 32-pounder howitzers, but the boys became so proficient, that their fire could dominate the entire two- thousand yard width of the pass.This became painfully apparent to the Federals during the September 8th Battle of Sabine Pass. Capt. Odlum had been assigned as district commander in Sabine City, and First-Lieutenant Dick Dowling, now twenty-six years of age, was in command of a garrison of less than fifty men when the United States launched the twenty- two ship invasion fleet from New Orleans. On board were five-thousand soldiers, sailors, and marines, plus enough livestock, munitions, and equipment for the capture and occupation of Texas. Of course, the result was a miraculous Confederate victory yielding two Union gunboats and three hundred and fifty prisoners.  Dowling was promoted to major and spent the remainder of the war as a traveling celebrity recruiting troops for the State of Texas. When the war ended in 1865, Federal authorities paroled Major Dowling, and he returned to his business enterprises in Houston. The Bank of Bacchus became one of the favorite meeting places for veterans of the war. Despite hard times in the South, Dowling’s ventures flourished. By 1867, he had expanded into Houston real estate, South Texas farm land, a bonded warehouse in Galveston, a construction company, a Trinity River steamboat, and oil and gas leases in three counties. Unfortunately, the disease that took his parents came for their son in 1867. He contracted yellow fever and died on September 23rd at age thirty. His Houston Hook and Ladder Company carried him to his final resting place in St. Vincent’s Cemetery while a soft rain fell and thousands of hushed Texans lined the streets. Many public works and schools have been named for him in Southeast Texas. Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1295 in Beaumont and Camp #1305 in Houston are named for him, as well as United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter #404 in Beaumont. Micheal McGreevy
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in addition to several "ladies of doubtful reputation", LT Dowling had several YANKEES in his command. they are thought to have been union deserters, but nobody living knows for sure.
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
NOBODY was sure whether it would fire OR how to fire it!free dixie,sw
NOBODY was sure whether it would fire OR how to fire it!
it WORKED!
free dixie,sw
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Air Power |
The F-89 was a twin-engine, all-weather fighter-interceptor designed to locate, intercept, and destroy enemy aircraft by day or night under all types of weather conditions. One of the most heavily armed fighter aircraft, the F-89 was the backbone of the North American Air Defense Command for more than 17 years. The F-89 helped the Air Defense Command to patrol the skies during the period when Soviet intercontinental bombers first became a threat. The first F-89 made its initial flight in August 1948 and deliveries to the Air Force began in July 1950. Northrop produced 1,050 F-89s.
The F-89 was the first multi-seat, all-weather jet interceptor. It was the first aircraft designed to carry an all-rocket armament and the first to carry the Hughes Falcon air-to-air guided missile. It carried a pilot in the forward cockpit and a radar operator in the rear who guided the pilot into proper attack position. Northrop was awarded a contract May 3, 1946, to build two prototypes designated XP-89. The XP-89 rolled out of its California plant in the summer of 1948. After a number of taxiing and brake tests were performed, the XP-89 was moved to the high desert north of Los Angeles known as Muroc Dry Lake (later Edwards AFB). It was at this time it was re-designated as F-89, classifying it as a fighter. The air and ground crews at Muroc remarked that it looked like a scorpion ready to strike. The name stuck and was later officially recognized by the Air Force.
The F-89 made its maiden flight Aug. 16, 1948, with the first production model being accepted Sept. 28, 1950. At the time of its production, the F-89 had an advanced radar system enabling the crew to track and engage hostile bombers in any weather.
On July 19, 1957, a Genie test rocket was fired from an F-89J, the first time in history that an air-to-air rocket with a nuclear warhead was launched and detonated. Three hundred and fifty F-89Ds were converted to "J" models which became the Air Defense Command's first fighter-interceptor to carry nuclear armament.
Specifications:
Primary Function: Fighter
Contractor: Northrop Aircraft
Crew: Two (pilot, radar operator)
Unit Cost: $1,009,000
Powerplant: Two Allison J35s turbojets of 7,200 lbs. thrust each with afterburner (F-89J)
Dimensions:
Length: 53 ft. 8 in.
Wingspan: 59 ft. 10 in.
Height: 17 ft. 6 in.
Weights: Empty: 25,195 lb / Maximum Takeoff: 46,790 lb
Performance :
Maximum speed: 627 mph
Cruising speed: 465 mph
Ceiling: 49,200 ft
Range: 1,367 mi
Armaments:
Four 50 caliber machine guns;
Two AIR-2A Genie air-to-air rockets with nuclear warheads
Four AIM-4C Falcon missiles
Dick Dowling Bump
Another version of the Sabine Pass affair is HERE.
The famous Sabine Pass affair was not the only heroics of Dick Dowling. In the summer of 1862 Federal forces occupied Sabine Pass and the fort there and for months kept making raids into Beaumont from the fort. In early 1863 flush with success at helping repulse the Federal invaders at Galveston, Dick Dowling and the Davis Guards in two cottonclad ships came after and captured two Federal blockade ships, 13 cannon, and 139 prisoners, thereby reopening the port of Sabine Pass. See: Dowling and the Morning Light.
That would have been a neat meeting to attend.
1971 Apollo 14 lander Antares lands on Moon (Shepard & Mitchell)
Solar System's longest putt.
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