The first article I chose was published in the Houston Chronicle on September 5, 1989. The article was written by Bob Tutt and it appeared on page 15A of the day’s paper. It begins by describing Dick Dowling’s early life and his early entrepreneurial endeavors. After describing his physical and business characteristics, the author goes on to describe his involvement in the Confederate Army. The reader is reminded of the Union’s previous victories and that the Federal troops planned another blow on the Confederacy by attacking Sabine Pass. However, Dick Dowling and his men prevented this Union victory by defending the area with little more than some old cannons. The author then goes on to say that while the battle did not alter the result of the War, Davis declared it a victory “without parallel in the ancient or modern times.”
The article then goes back to his beginnings as an Irish immigrant and his entrepreneurial nature, as chronicled by this great-great-niece. The author concludes by talking about Dowling’s death. He also acknowledges that he is till remembered in Houston through the statue at Hermann Park and the street and middle school that bear his name. The closing lines reveal that his great-great-niece and a leader of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians formed the Dick Dowling Irish Heritage society to restore the statue.
While the article was in the main section of the newspaper, it was not placed in a position where it could attract attention. It was one of many short articles and the only significant feature was the large photograph featuring the statue at Hermann Park. The recounting of Dowling’s story was published three days before the 126th anniversary of the Battle of Sabine Pass and in the same month as Dowling’s death. I assume that the article recounting and praising his life was a way the community honored their hero and exposed more people to hi story. The article also serves as a notification of the plans for the upcoming restoration of the statue. This article shows that the Houston has not forgotten its first hero and that however small a demonstration, the anniversary of his victory at Sabine Pass does not go unnoticed. While the author does not exalt the Confederacy, the writing does acknowledge the importance of the victory considering the formidable foe.
When looking through the rest of the paper, I did not find anything else that referred to Dowling or the victory at Sabine Pass. Despite the significant date, the only mention of this important piece of history was the small article. The most resonant news story was about the first President Bush predicting the fall of the Berlin Wall during his presidency. (Not really related to the Civil War.)
My second article came from the Confederate Veteran, a news magazine published up for Confederate supporters. The article “’Dick’ Dowling at Sabine Pass” was published in October 1896 and can be found on pages 336-338 of the bound materials. This article begins by introducing the new Commander of the Dick Dowling Camp, but soon moves to provide a brief recount of the events of the Battle of Sabine Pass and the impact the victory had on the Davis Guards and the Confederacy. The article continues to describe the ceremony at which Dowling’s daughter received a medal in honor of her father’s actions to keep Texas safe from the Union. Later, the names of all the men who served as the Davis Guards are listed, as well as the Camp’s officers. The death of a member of the Davis Guards, Captain Jack White, is announced in the same article. The end of the article recounts a “Prisoner’s Ludicrous Account” of a conversation with dick Dowling.
The issue of the Confederate Veteran where this article was published has many other articles in the same kind of format. There are numerous articles where they recognize members of the Confederate Army and where they list out the names of those that participated in a Battle. Also, there are many obituaries of heroes that have died and that according to the magazine deserve praise. Something that struck me as interesting was the listing of many reunions of different regiments and groups across the Southern states. These actions suggest that the Confederate identity and the relationships within the former army remained strong thirty year after the Battle. The veterans continued to socialize with other veterans and it was important that they preserve their cause and remember those that has served alongside them in battle.
The article addresses the question of how at different times the memory or Dick Dowling and his victory at Sabine Pass has changed. After such a small amount of time, the members of the Davis Guard continue to be a part of Texas’ population and therefore a significant news worthy topic. In addition, the fact that there is an association called the Dick Dowling Camp, suggest great admiration for the person and his role as a hero in the Civil War. In comparison, the Houston Chronicle article has only one small section devoted to Dowling and the Davis Guards are not even mentioned. In the late nineteenth century the memory of the war was so recent that everyone continued to praise the actions of the small army.