The Dick Dowling Camp was named in honor of Lt. Richard W."Dick" Dowling,
the Hero of the Battle of Sabine Pass. Dowling was a 28 year old Irish imigrant from Houston who commanded a handful of Irish born volunteers to stop a large Federal armada that attacked up the Sabine/ Neches River mouth intending to invade Texas. In the ensuing battle, fifty Union soldiers and sailors were killed, two Feder
al gunboats
were captured, and about 350 prisoners were taken. There were no no Confederate casualties. The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South's decision to fight the Second American Revolution. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers fought underscored their belief in the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. These attributes are the underpinning of our democratic society and represent the foundation on which this nation was built. Today, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes so that future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause. The SCV is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces.
