Winner; Dan and Marilyn Laney Prize; Austin Civil War Round Table; 2005In an 1882 speech; former Confederate president Jefferson Davis made an exuberant claim: "That battle at Sabine Pass was more remarkable than the battle at Thermopylae." Indeed; Sabine Pass was the site of one of the most decisive Civil War battles fought in Texas. But unlike the Spartans; who succumbed to overwhelming Persian forces at Thermopylae more than two thousand years before; the Confederate underdogs triumphed in a battle that over time has become steeped in hyperbole. Providing a meticulously researched; scholarly account of this remarkable victory; Sabine Pass at last separates the legends from the evidence.In arresting prose; Edward T. Cotham; Jr.; recounts the momentous hours of September 8; 1863; during which a handful of Texans—almost all of Irish descent—under the leadership of Houston saloonkeeper Richard W. Dowling; prevented a Union military force of more than 5;000 men; 22 transport vessels; and 4 gunboats from occupying Sabine Pass; the starting place for a large invasion that would soon have given the Union control of Texas.Sabine Pass sheds new light on previously overlooked details; such as the design and construction of the fort (Fort Griffin) that Dowling and his men defended; and includes the battle report prepared by Dowling himself. The result is a portrait of a mythic event that is even more provocative when stripped of embellishment.
#1854200 in Books 2006-08-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.44 x 1.11 x 6.38l; 1.30 #File Name: 0275985024280 pages
Review
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Stephen M. KeatingThe book arrived in good condition10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. succinct and perceptiveBy Robert D. HarmonAs someone who has read considerable Russian history; including military history -- and as someone who spent his years in the Reserves and Guard training for a war with the former Soviet Union -- I can say that this book is a very good introduction to a very large subject. It's a tribute to the author that he can keep the book to 247 pages of very readable text; but still touch on all the major topics. He does not neglect the political interactions between the Russian state and its army: the push-pull between the royal courts; e.g.; of Peter and Catherine the Great and the army; particularly in reforms; or the impact of dissidents as different as Pugachev or the Decembrists. It shows something of his editing skills that he can cover the sweep of all those tumultuous centuries without losing understanding or context.He also keeps it in its own Russian context; and seeks to avoid " ... misunderstandings of Russian military history: that World War I was a war of stalemate and immobility; that World War II was a 'good war' with a clear line between the just and unjust ..." (from the introduction).Worthwhile; either to those new to Russian military history; or to those seeking to put the wars and revolts and reformers all in a single continuum. Very worth while.
