First Battle of Sabine Pass

First Battle of Sabine Pass
Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
Date September 24–25, 1862 Location Jefferson County, Texas Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Crocker	Josephus S. Irvine
Units involved
West Gulf Blockading Squadron	Sabine Pass Garrison
Strength
2 schooners, 1 steamer	28 artillerists ~30 cavalry four guns Fort Sabine
Casualties and losses
None	None

The First Battle of Sabine Pass (September 24–25, 1862), also known as the Bombardment of Fort Sabine, was the first American Civil War bombardment by the United States Navy of a Confederate fort below Sabine City (now Sabine Pass, Texas.) It was the apex in a series of naval and land skirmishes around the mouth of the Sabine River, Texas, and preceded by four weeks the Union Navy's first armed entry into Galveston Bay called the Battle of Galveston Harbor. Besides strengthening the Union naval blockade of the Texas coastline, the shelling and capture of Sabine Pass was to deter Confederate ground forces from moving southwestward on the Texas coast to augment Galveston's defense. It was intended to open the way for the Union invasion of Texas, which almost a year later, was attempted by a combined force of Union naval and army forces at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass.