Fort Manhassett facts for kids

Fort Manhassett was a series of earth forts built during the American Civil War. These forts were located near Sabine City, Texas. Their job was to protect the western side of the city from attacks. The Confederate Army used Fort Manhassett from October 1863 to May 1865.

A map showing Fort Manhassett's defenses during the Civil War.

Why Fort Manhassett Was Built

During the Civil War, Texas was an important target for the Union Army. President Abraham Lincoln wanted to stop the Confederacy from getting supplies. He ordered a blockade of Southern ports. This meant Union ships would try to stop other ships from entering or leaving these ports.

By late 1862, Galveston, a major Texas city and port, was taken over by Union forces. Sabine City also faced attacks from Union Navy ships. However, Confederate forces fought back. In January 1863, Major General John Bankhead Magruder recaptured Galveston. Later that month, Confederate ships temporarily broke the blockade at Sabine Pass.

The Battle of Sabine Pass

In the summer of 1863, President Lincoln ordered an invasion of Texas. He worried that France, which was in Mexico, might team up with the Confederacy. A large Union fleet with about 5,000 soldiers sailed from New Orleans towards Sabine Pass.

On September 8, 1863, a small group of 42 Irish dockworkers defended Fort Griffin at Sabine Pass. They were led by a young officer named Lt. Richard W. Dowling. The Union fleet sent four gunboats to attack the fort. Dowling and his men waited until the Union ships were very close. Then, they opened fire. They damaged three Union gunboats. The Union fleet, fearing more attacks, retreated without landing any troops. Dowling's small force captured two gunboats and about 300 prisoners. They did this without losing a single Confederate soldier.

After this battle, Confederate leaders realized something important. If the Union had landed troops a bit further away, Fort Griffin would have been useless. This area was like an "unprotected back door" to Sabine City. So, they quickly made plans to build new forts to defend this weak spot. Fort Manhassett was part of this new defense plan.

Building Fort Manhassett

Fort Manhassett was built in a very smart location. It was on the marshy plains west of Sabine City. This area had flat, grassy land with many marshes and shallow lakes. The fort was placed on a mile-long stretch of open ground between Knight's Lake and the beach. This spot was a natural "chokepoint," meaning it was a narrow area where an enemy would have to pass. A road nearby helped bring supplies to the fort.

Colonel Valery Sulakowski, a chief engineer for the Confederacy, ordered the construction. Major Julius G. Kellersberger oversaw the building of several types of earthworks. These included:

• Redoubts: Small, enclosed forts.
• Redans: V-shaped earthworks open at the rear.
• Lunettes: V-shaped earthworks with protected flanks.

Fort Manhassett had two redoubts, two redans, and one lunette. Three of these, Redoubt A, B, and C, were in a straight line from north to south. They were meant to stop any enemy coming from the west. These redoubts had heavy cannons. Two redans behind them were a second line of defense.

Materials and Naming

The forts were built using sand and oyster shells. They were covered with sod (grass and soil) to make them stronger. Workers built the forts. They likely used wood from a captured Union ship called the Manhassett. This ship was a civilian vessel that supplied coal to Union blockade ships.

On September 19, 1863, the Manhassett got stuck on a sandbar near where the new fort was being built. Confederates quickly seized the ship and captured its crew. A few days later, a Union gunboat, the USS Cayuga, came to check on the wreck. It fired shells at the Confederates but then retreated. The Manhassett had actually supplied coal to the Union gunboats that attacked Fort Griffin just two weeks before it was captured! It's believed that Fort Manhassett was named after this captured ship.

Fort Manhassett's Role in the War

Fort Manhassett is often called a "quiet piece of history." No major battles happened right at the fort. The biggest challenges for the soldiers there were boredom and sickness. However, the area had plenty of ducks, geese, rabbits, and fish, which likely helped with food.

Battle of Calcasieu Pass

In April 1864, some of Fort Manhassett's defenders saw action about 35 mi (56 km) away at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana. Two Union gunboats, USS Wave and USS Granite City, sailed into Calcasieu Pass. Their goal was to get beef for their sailors and recruit new members for the Union Navy.

When Confederate leaders heard about the Union ships, Major General John B. Magruder ordered an immediate attack. Soldiers from Fort Manhassett, along with other Confederate units, marched 30 mi (48 km) through the night. They attacked the Union ships at 5 AM. The Union boats were anchored and not ready for a fight. After a three-hour battle, both Union ships surrendered. The Confederates captured them and turned them into blockade runners. The USS Granite City was one of the Union ships that had attacked Fort Griffin earlier.

Soldiers at Fort Manhassett

The Confederate forces in Texas were quite isolated. They didn't get much help from the main Confederate government. Major General Magruder focused on keeping ports open for blockade runners and defending the Texas coast. By September 1863, he had a large number of men, nearly 40% of his entire command, stationed at Sabine Pass.

Fort Manhassett was guarded by several hundred soldiers. These included infantry (foot soldiers), cavalry (soldiers on horseback), and artillery (cannon crews). Over time, different units were stationed there. For example, in March 1864, a German immigrant artillery unit called Creuzbaur's Battery was stationed at the fort. They even installed two large cannons captured from the USS Granite City.

As the war neared its end, the number of soldiers at Fort Manhassett decreased. This was due to transfers, soldiers leaving, and deaths from disease. By April 1865, only about 48 men were on duty at the fort.

While major battles happened elsewhere, the soldiers at Sabine Pass spent the rest of the war guarding the coast. The Union never tried to land troops there again after September 1863. When the main Confederate armies surrendered in April 1865, the news took a while to reach Sabine Pass. Many Confederate officers simply told their men to go home. At Fort Manhassett, the Confederate flag was lowered for the last time. Some cannons and ammunition were buried or thrown into ditches. On May 25, 1865, a US Navy officer raised the Union flag over Forts Manhassett and Griffin.

What Happened to the Fort After the War?

After the Civil War ended, Fort Manhassett was left empty. Its earthen walls became covered with plants and blended into the marshy land. Since it was far from any towns, nature slowly took it over. Local stories say that people from nearby towns took wood and other useful materials from the fort, just like they did with Fort Griffin.

In 1926, a road near the fort was straightened. During this work, about 30 large cannonballs and kegs of gunpowder were found. They were likely reburied. Decades later, in the 1970s, more road construction uncovered more artifacts from Redoubt A. About 200 cannonballs and other types of ammunition were found by people digging in the area. This discovery led to an explosive ordnance team being called in to safely remove some of the items. Other things found included old nails and parts of cannons. Most of these artifacts are now lost, but some cannonballs are on display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.

There's a story from the early 1970s about a souvenir hunter trying to dig up the site with a large machine. A state archaeologist tried to stop him. To show the danger, the archaeologist took a cannonball, opened it, and lit some of the old gunpowder. It exploded with a loud burst of flame and smoke! The landowner quickly got on his machine and drove away.

Today, Fort Manhassett is on private land. You can still see parts of the old forts, like Redoubt B, in aerial pictures. Redoubt C is completely underwater. The land is used for cattle grazing, which helps protect the site.