The naval fight off Sabine - Special to the Houston Telegraph (Page 3 of 4). This is in Volume 19 of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion.
(This report is continued from page 571) such an humble individual as myself to eulogize him. Captain Odlum, of Company H, Cook's regiment heavy artillery, was chief of ordnance and artillery. Well and gallantly did he perform his duty.
Captain Marsh commanded the detachment of men from his comapny of Likens' battalion, and Captain G. W. O'Bryan, of the same battalion, commanded the detachments on board the Uncle Ben. The surgeon's staff consisted of Surgeons Bailey, Murray, and Anderson. Captains Aycock, Marsh, Spurlock, Keith, and Gibbs and Lieutenants Junker, Glenn, Hunter, Leonard, Timon, Ezell, Hogan, Martin, Lockett, Aikens, Mayo [R. E. Mays], Jones, and several other officers, whose names now escape my memory, together with the men composing their commands, all behaved gallantly, and it is scarcely proper to pick out individuals where every man was a hero in himself. I might mention many instances of coolness and gallantry displayed by some gentlemen (citizens) who volunteered for the fight, but will merely mention a few of the most prominent who came under my own observation. Captains Stockholm and McLane, of Sabine Pass, were pilots on the Bell, and managed the boat, under the direction of Captain Fowler, to a charm. Captain Z. Sable and Mr. Gilmore, of Orange, did efficient service, and proved by their gallantry that they are men for an emergency. When we took the Morning Light in tow Captain Sable remained in commmand of her, and the manner in which she was handled stamps him at once as a good seaman. I must not neglect mentioning Lieutenant Tom Millett, our acting commisary of subsistence. He was among the first to board the enemy, and in the report of his commanding officer to headquarters his name is honorably mentioned for coolness and gallantry.
Captain Dan Showalter acted as volunteer aid on the staff of Major Watkins and did good service. I have known Dan for a long time. It was our fortune many a time to meet in the Democratic State convention of California, and I never thought while listening to the brilliant oratory of my friend before the enlightened legislature of California many years ago that either of us would meet on this side of the Pacific, fighting for the rights of the South. Captain Showalter was a prisoner of war in California for five months and a half but through the exertions of himself and Senator Latham managed to make good his escape, and here he is now advocating the same principles with the sword that he has heretofore done in public life with the pen.
Our prisoners number in all about 109. Among the latter are 29 negroes, including one severly wounded. The latter are a very likely looking lot of subjects. The officers and men are a fine looking body, and credit certainly must be given to them and Captain Dillingham for having managed and fought his vessel as well and with as much desperation as any officer could have done under the circumstances. He gave us his batteries as long as he could get them to bear on us, and after they were useless he had all his small arms loaded, distributed his boarding pikes for the purpose of repelling our officers and gunners, and had men stationed in the tops of his vessel to pick off our officers and gunners, but our sharpshooters brought the men out of the tops very soon, they coming down on the deck like so many squirrels out of a tree.
The enemy's wounded speak in the highest terms of our surgeons, (This report is continued on page 573)
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