Wes Ferguson

An intrusion at the Battle of Sabine Pass

Richard W. Dowling, a shirtless saloon owner, was the victorious commander in the Battle of Sabine Pass in the American Civil War.
Richard W. Dowling, a shirtless saloon owner, was the victorious commander in the Battle of Sabine Pass in the American Civil War.

My buddy Jacob and I had just spent a week boating down the Sabine River, from Toledo Bend to the Gulf of Mexico, and we were tired and grimy and waiting for Jacob’s father Henry to come pick us up. We had arranged to meet him at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Park in Sabine Pass, Texas. The memorial site was grassy and desolate, and we were the only people there. A cool breeze was blowing in from the ocean. Jacob went off to find a public restroom, and I was sitting at a picnic table, minding my own business, when a fellow in a convertible coupe began to circle through the parking lot.

The guy who hopped out of the car was fortyish and not wearing a shirt. In fact, he was not wearing much of anything — only shorts, sandals, and wrap-around sunglasses. A ponytail. A bronze tan. I was careful to avoid eye contact, but it didn’t deter him. He walked right over and started asking questions about the battle of Sabine Pass.

I answered, curtly, that a small band of Confederate soldiers had fought off a larger fleet of invading Union ships at this spot, which was now a state historic site.

“Those damn Yankees,” he said. “I say that in jest because I’m from the Northeast. So this was like a crucial port for the South during the war?”

“I have no idea,” I replied. “We just got here. But if you’ll walk around, there’s bound to be some reading material somewhere. At least a marker or something.”

He didn’t take the hint. “So where were you coming from?” he asked.

When I told him about our trip down the Sabine, he announced that he had once ridden a jet ski 180 miles along the Atlantic coast. Now his watercraft was in storage in his garage back home, needing repairs. “You know what they say,” he said. “You either have a new jet ski or you don’t have a jet ski.” He was from New Jersey, and he had taken off work for a few weeks to see the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Brownsville. As for rivers, he added, “I’d love to explore the Hudson, because it’s so beautiful.”

“On a jet ski?” I asked.

“Oh yeah.”

Then he wanted to know what year the battle of Sabine Pass had been fought. I told him I really, truly had no idea.

“I’ll find out,” he said.

As he walked away, I thought about Jeff back up the river. Then I thought about the Tidwells and the rest of the people I had met along the Sabine. It hadn’t mattered that I was a stranger. They had invited me into their homes, fed me and treated me like one of their own. I realized that I wasn’t like these river people at all. I wasn’t as kind.

Jacob showed up with chips and sandwiches. We were eating at the picnic table when a voice shouted: “1863!”

I turned around. It was the shirtless guy. “What?” I asked him.

“1863,” he said. “That’s the year of the battle.”

“Oh, OK,” I replied.

He stood there beside our picnic table.

“Pringles, huh?” he said.

“Yep.”

“Nice.”

When we didn’t say anything more to the man he walked over to the piers, then circled back to his convertible coupe and sped off to his next destination. One hopes he found a place where the people were friendlier.

Ruthlessly cut from an early draft of Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine, by Wes Ferguson and Jacob Croft Botter.

Wes Ferguson

1,439 responses to “An intrusion at the Battle of Sabine Pass”

« Older Comments

  10. When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!|

    Reply

  17. Its like you read my thoughts! You seem to grasp so much about this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something. I believe that you simply could do with some p.c. to power the message house a little bit, but other than that, that is magnificent blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.|

    Reply

  19. Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|

    Reply

  23. I loved as much as you’ll receive performed proper here. The comic strip is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish. however, you command get bought an shakiness over that you want be delivering the following. sick undoubtedly come further before once more as exactly the same just about very continuously inside case you shield this increase.

    Reply

  27. Good blog! I really love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I might be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS which must do the trick! Have a nice day!

    Reply

  28. I have discovered that wise real estate agents all around you are warming up to FSBO ***********. They are acknowledging that it’s not just placing a sign in the front property. It’s really about building interactions with these retailers who one of these days will become customers. So, while you give your time and energy to aiding these retailers go it alone – the “Law involving Reciprocity” kicks in. Great blog post.

    Reply

  29. sex nh?t, hi?p dâm tr? em, ?u dâm, buôn bán v? khí, ma túy, bán súng, sextoy, ch?i ??, sex b?o l?c, sex h?c ???ng, t?i ph?m tình d?c

    Reply

  30. Hello! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. Many thanks!

    Reply

  32. Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.|

    Reply

  35. You really make it seem really easy together with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I believe I would by no means understand. It sort of feels too complex and extremely wide for me. I am taking a look forward in your subsequent post, I will attempt to get the dangle of it!|

    Reply

  36. It is in point of fact a great and useful piece of information. I?m glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  37. sex nh?t hi?p dâm tr? em ?u dâm buôn bán v? khí ma túy bán súng sextoy ch?i ?? sex b?o l?c sex h?c ???ng t?i ph?m tình d?c ch?i les ?? ??c ng??i m?u bán dâm

    Reply

  38. sex nh?t hi?p dâm tr? em ?u dâm buôn bán v? khí ma túy bán súng sextoy ch?i ?? sex b?o l?c sex h?c ???ng t?i ph?m tình d?c ch?i les ?? ??c ng??i m?u bán dâm

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *