The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 32
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Infantry Battalion, thus giving the new regiment a full comple-
ment of ten companies. By this consolidation, Company A of
Spaight's Battalion became Company A of the 21st Regiment,
Company E (Captain O'Brien) of Spaight's became Company
B of the regiment, Company C of Griffin's battalion became
Company C of the regiment, Company E of Griffin's became
Company D of the regiment, Company C of Spaight's became
Company E of the regiment, Company F of Spaight's became
Company F, Company B of Griffin's became Company G, Com-
pany D of Spaight's became Company H, Company A of Grif-
fin's became Company I, and Company G of Spaight's became
Company K. Spaight, the senior of the two lieutenant colonels,
was appointed colonel of the regiment and Griffin the lieuten-
ant colonel.'
Prior to the time that Spaight's Battalion was sent to Louisiana
in 1863, it had been engaged entirely in coastal defense duty at
Sabine Pass, Orange, Niblett's Bluff, and Galveston. A few of
the battalion were first under fire in September, 1862, when
two Federal gunboats, Henry Janes and Rachel Seaman, crossed
the bar at Sabine Pass and shelled Fort Sabine and Sabine City.
Only a small garrison of artillerymen under Major Irvine and Cap-
tain Keith were on duty in the fort because yellow fever was raging
in Sabine City. In July, 1862, a British steamer from Havana,
the Victoria, had run the blockade. It was known there was sick-
ness aboard the ship, but this excited no suspicion until a citizen
came down with yellow fever. The fever spread rapidly and soon
both the civilians and soldiers dispersed to escape its ravages."
After the Federal gunboats began their bombardment of the
fort, the Confederates soon found that the Federal naval guns
easily outranged their cannon, and although the Confederates
were reinforced by Captain O'Brien and Lieutenant W. A.
Junker with twenty-six men at nightfall, Major Irvine decided
to spike the guns and evacuate the fort. This was done in the
early morning hours of September 25, the Confederates remov-
ing all ordnance stores and supplies to Beaumont. The Federals
7Undated MS., slst (Spaight's) regimental jacket, Record Group No. 94. File 174
(Confederate Records, National Archives, Washington, D. C.).
8Keith, "Sabine Pass," Burke's Texas Almanac, 66.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/52/?q=%221777%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.