Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

General Banks now turned his thoughts to aggressive movements. He was visited early in September by General Grant, and the two commanders united in an earnest expression of a desire to make a movement, with their combined forces, on Mobile, the only place of importance then held by the Confederates on the Gulf eastward of the Mississippi. Influential loyalists from Texas, then in Washington, had the ear of the Government, and were strongly urging an attempt to “repossess” that State by force of arms. The Government yielded to their desires, and Banks was ordered to move for the conquest of Texas, in a way according to the dictates of his own judgment, but with the suggestion that the most feasible route would be by the Red River to Natchitoches and Shreveport. Banks believed that route to be impracticable at that season of the year, so, in the exercise of his discretionary powers, he fitted out an expedition to make a lodgment on Texas soil at Sabine City, at the Sabine Pass.¹ There was the terminus of a railway leading into the heart of Eastern Texas, and which was crossed by another leading to Houston, the capital of that State.² For the purpose of making such lodgment, four thousand disciplined troops were placed under the command of General Franklin as leader, who was instructed to land them a few miles below Sabine Pass, and then move directly upon Confederate works, if any were found there and occupied. Admiral Farragut detailed a naval force of four gun-boats to form a part of the expedition. These were commanded by Lieutenant Frederick Crocker, who made the Clifton his flag-ship.³ The expedition sailed on the 5th of September.

Instead of following his instructions, to land lis troops below Sabine Pass, Franklin arranged with Crocker to have the gun-boats make a direct attack upon the Confederate works, without landing the troops until the garrison should be expelled, and two gun-boats, which it was understood were there, should be captured or driven up the river, when the business of the soldiers would be to go ashore and take possession. For this operation about one hundred and fifty sharp-shooters were taken from the army and distributed among the vessels.

Early in the forenoon of the 8th of September, the gun-boats and trans. ports crossed the bar at Sabine Pass, and in the afternoon the Clifton, Sachem, and Arizona, went up two separate channels to attack the fort (which mounted eight heavy guns, three of them rifled), leaving the Granite City to cover the landing of a division of troops, under General Weitzel, at a proper time. The Confederate garrison was ready for them, the expedition having been in sight for twenty-eight hours, and when the three gunboats were abreast the fort they received a fire from the whole eight guns on shore. The boilers of the Clifton and Arizona were penetrated by shells, and the vessels, instantly enveloped in scalding steam, displayed white flags