Mark your calendars. The Sabine Pass battlefield is getting close to reopening the historic area and there are several new monuments and markers that are going to be dedicated in what promises to be an impressive ceremony on Saturday, September 8, 2007 (144th anniversary of the battle) at 1:30 pm. There is a wonderful new monument for the Union casualties of the battle. There are also two new state historic markers for the Confederate capture of the USS Morning Light and Texas Marine Department "Commodore" Leon Smith. So this will be a good opportunity to see the battlefield again and say hello to your friends in Jefferson County who have had more than their share of difficulties recovering from the storms that affected the area.