Fort Fisher

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Fort Fisher was a fortification of the Confederate Army during the Civil War . It protected the vital supply routes to the Port of Wilmington , North Carolina during the period from 1861 to the conquest by the troops of the Northern States in 1865. It is located on a promontory at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in the Atlantic Ocean. At the time known as "Federal Point", North Carolina, the area is now called "Pleasure Island", North Carolina.

Strategic location

Fort Fisher

The port of Wilmington is about 50 kilometers upstream from the confluence of the Cape Fear River in the Atlantic Ocean.

During the Civil War, Wilmington was one of the main port of call for supply ships with urgently needed goods for warfare, as well as for the export of cotton and tobacco . The south was generally supplied via the port of Wilmington. Moreover, that would be Northern Virginia Army of General Lee in Virginia without the supply of the harbor had not been operational.

Most of the ships plying here were British ships called blockade breakers . The name came from the fact that the mouth of the Cape Fear River was sealed off by a US squadron and had to be breached each time. The blockade breakers mostly came from the British colonies of Bermuda , Bahamas and Nova Scotia . Mostly they carried the Confederate flag because the US government had threatened to treat and execute the blockade breakers raised under the British flag as pirates .

After the capture of Norfolk , Virginia in May 1862, the importance of Wilmington grew significantly, as it had become the most important remaining port of the southern states on the Atlantic coast. The fortifications of Wilmington were so massive that they were only surpassed on the east coast by the fortifications of Charleston. For this reason, as well as because of the presence of Fort Fisher, the city was able to offer resistance almost until the end of the war.

Cape Fear River defenses

Lower Cape Fear River Region

South of Wilmington, the Cape Fear River was secured for the last 30 kilometers by Confederate forts and batteries. In addition, ships were sunk to narrow the fairway and mines called "torpedoes" were installed. Incoming and outgoing ships were guided through the locks by Confederate naval officers.

Building history

The first batteries of artillery were erected in the spring of 1861 about 1,600 meters from the "New Inlet". Area commander at that time was General Theophilus H. Holmes . Major William HC Whiting was Chief Inspector of North Carolina Defense .

This first fortification was later named "Bolles Battery" after its initiator, Major Charles Pattison Bolles. In addition, the "Camp Wyatt" training area was created north of the battery.

In the summer of 1861, Col. Seawell L. Fremont took command of the 1st North Carolina Artillery and Engineer Regiment. He had further fortifications built on the isthmus:

  • Meade Battery
  • Zeke's Island Battery
  • Anderson Battery
  • Gatlin Battery

In September the facility was finally baptized "Fort Fisher" after Colonel Charles F. Fisher, who fell as commander of the 6th North Carolina Infantry Regiment in the First Battle of Manassas .

In July 1862, Colonel William Lamb was appointed commandant of the fort. He initiated the construction of so-called earthworks, which strengthened the landside defense line and were called Land Face . At the northeast corner of the defense line, the "Northeast Bastion" was built in the spring of 1863 as the strongest structure of Fort Fisher. The walls here were 9 meters high. From there, the system ran at a receding angle to the final "Battery Shepherd". Hundreds of men and a narrow-gauge railway were used to build the Northeast Bastion. A light signal station for the blockade breakers was set up on the bastion. In total, over 1,000 workers, including 500 slaves and some Indians from the Lumbee tribe, were employed to build the fortification.

Upon completion of the expansion, Fort Fisher had become the largest fort in the Confederation and was even visited by President Jefferson Davis in November 1863 .

In 1864 the entire 36th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was moved to the fort as a crew . In October of the same year the “Buchanan Battery” was built.

In the course of time, Fort Fisher had been reinforced to the extent that it was able to keep the ships of the US blockade fleet at a proper distance and thus prevent shelling of the coastline.

Inner courtyard with shelters before the attack

description

As is customary with the fortifications built on the coasts during the war, the fort consisted almost exclusively of heaped sand walls with similar traverses between the gun positions, exposed, dry trenches and palisades made of palm trunks. The ground plan was a reentrant angle with legs of unequal length, the corner point of which was the Northeast Battery. From there, the “sea front” (Sea Defense) led in the direction of the Atlantic over a distance of 1,600 meters along the coastline to the southwest and ended at the large “Mound Battery”. The sea front was equipped with 22 cannons, which were set up 3.6 meters above sea level. A telegraph office and a bombproof hospital were built into the wall.

The so-called land fortification (land defense) led from the Northeast Bastion over a length of 540 meters to the "Battery Shepherd" and covered the land side of the peninsula. The front was equipped with 15 hollow beams and 25 cannons. The latter were set up 3 meters above sea level. Under the trusses and the wall was a system of bomb-proof cavities including an arsenal . A 2.7-meter-high fence made of palm trunks had been erected in front of the front.

The “Buchanan Battery” was a fortification to cover the flanks of the main plant at the tip of the peninsula, opposite “Cape Fear's New Inlet”. (Coordinate: 33 ° 57 ′ 36 ″  N , 77 ° 56 ′ 28 ″  W )

Armament

The sea front was equipped with (the exact denomination is not known) 8 inch (205 mm) smoothbore guns (so-called Columbiads ), 10 inch (254 mm) Columbiads, as well as rifled 12 pounders and "Brooke Rifles". There was also a 150 pounder Armstrong gun on the sea front. The Northeast Bastion was equipped with an 8 inch Blakley mortar.

In the “Shepherd Battery” at the end of the left face and the “Mound Battery” at the end of the right face were 4.5 inch Parrott guns that could brush the faces from protruding positions. The landside front was fitted with 4.5 "Parrott Rifles, two 24-pounder Coehorn mortars, and an 8" seacoast mortar. The access route was covered by a 12 pounder "Napoleon-M1857" and a 3 inch Parrott gun. The main entrance of the Landwall was covered by two 12-pounders.

Types of protection used

  • 8 inch Columbiad

  • 4.5 inch Parrott Rifle

  • 8 inch mortar

  • 32 pounder rifle

  • Brooke Rifle

Start of fighting

After the capture of Mobile , Alabama in August 1864, the Union's next move was to take Wilmington. As early as September of the same year, the press in the northern states announced an attack on Charleston , South Carolina or Wilmington, thus giving up the element of surprise.

At that time Fort Fisher was occupied with 2,400 men. However, most of the men were not trained in fortress warfare. After the losses on the other battlefields, in particular the siege of Richmond , Virginia , it was difficult to bring in reinforcements. To compensate for this, the Cape Fear River was mined with further "torpedoes" and an advanced parapet was built at the northern end of the fortification.

Because of alcohol and other personal problems, the now General Whiting was relieved of his post and replaced by General Braxton Bragg . When Bragg was assigned to fight against Sherman in Georgia in November 1864 , the latter pulled 2,000 men from the defense of Wilmington to use them in the field battle. After Grant had heard of it, he planned the attack immediately against Wilmington and Fort Fisher.

First attack

In December 1864, an expeditionary force of the James Army was deployed in Virginia under Major General Benjamin Butler to take Fort Fisher in the course of an amphibious operation. He was supported by the units of the US Navy under Rear Admiral Porter already present on site . After General Lee learned of this, he ordered Major General Robert Hokes Division to reinforce Fort Fisher. Hoke also took command of the Wilmington Military District.

Union forces began their first attack on December 24, 1864 with a massive bombardment of Fort Fisher. Direct hits put a number of the fort's guns out of action and at times the defense system was considerably weakened. As a result, the troops of the northern states began an amphibious assault, but this was thwarted by the timely arrival of the troops of General Hoke. On December 27th, General Butler ordered the withdrawal of his 1,000 or so men who remained on the coastline, in violation of a direct order from General Grant. Grant had ordered that in the event of an unsuccessful attack, the siege should be started. Butler was removed from his command thereafter.

Second attack

Ships of the North Atlantic Blockade Squadron during the preparatory fire for the attack of January 15, 1865

After the withdrawal and the replacement of Butler, he was replaced by Brevet Major General Alfred Terry . He was tasked with another attack, which was called "Terry's expedition". Admiral Porter was the naval commander in this second attack. The second attack began on January 12, 1865 with a massive bombardment by 56 ships that lasted two and a half days. The ramparts of the fort were seriously damaged. On January 13, 1865 Terry sent a division of colored Union troops to the north side of Fort Fisher, where they should seal off the peninsula and stop any reinforcements of the Confederate under General Braxton Bragg. On January 15, 1865, another 8,000 Union troops landed on the peninsula at 3:00 a.m. The Union troops succeeded in penetrating the fort through the Shepherd Battery and attacking the defenders on the ramparts from behind. After six hours of hand-to-hand combat, the wounded General William H. C. Whiting surrendered to the Union forces as (reinstated) commander of the Cape Fear District. He died in captivity on March 10, 1865.

It remained the US Army's largest amphibious landing operation until World War II .

Powder magazine explosion

Shortly after sunrise on January 16, 1865, the fort's powder magazine exploded, killing over 200 soldiers on both sides.

This led to a heated debate between officers from the Northern and Southern states, the latter being accused of deliberately causing the explosion out of malice. However, the suspicion quickly arose that negligence on the part of the celebrating and under the influence of alcohol - although guards were posted - had led to the disaster.

A commission of inquiry that was set up came to the following conclusion:

REPORT

After carefully considering what happened and taking into account all the evidence and facts, the Commission notes that:

  1. Immediately after conquering the fort, General Ames gave the order to ( Lieutenant Colonel ) Samuel M. Zent of the 13th Indiana Infantry Regiment through the deputy adjutant general of the 3rd Brigade (2nd Division), ( Captain ) George W. Huckins to set up posts at all magazines and shelters.
  2. Lieutenant Colonel Zent began setting up sentries at the north-west corner of the fort, with guards in front of 31 underground entrances. The powder magazine, which later exploded, was not listed on the written instructions, which is why there was no guarding.
  3. Drunken soldiers, sailors and marines entered the shelters with the lights open and fired their rifles.
  4. About fifteen minutes before the magazine exploded, looters with open lights were seen entering the magazine. The Commission will be ignoring reports that the fort was detonated by an electric wire across the Cape Fear River.
RESULT

The Commission concludes that the explosion was due to the carelessness and ignorance of those who triggered it.

The commission is adjourned indefinitely.

JOSEPH C. ABBOTT,
Brevet Brigadier-General, US Volunteers , Chairman
GEORGE F. TOWLE,
Captain Fourth New Hampshire Volunteers ,
Acting Assistant Inspector-General and Recorder.

consequences

After the capture of Fort Fisher, the Wilmington lifeline was cut off. On February 22, 1865, Wilmington also fell into the hands of the Union. The war ended three months later.

Todays situation

Due to soil erosion , only small remnants of the sand walls are left. Part of the original palisade fence has since been restored.
The remains of the fort were declared a National Historic Landmark in November 1961 . They are part of the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area , which consists of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the Fort Fisher State Historic Site Museum and Visitor Center. Fort Fisher has been on the National Register of Historic Places since October 1966 .

Visitors can visit the reconstructed parts of the fort. On Sheperd's Battery is a ready-to-fire 32-pounder seacoast cannon that is fired on special occasions.

Web links

Commons : Fort Fisher  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion, A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office , 1880–1901. (Series I, Vol. 46, Reports, pp. 430-431).
  2. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: North Carolina. National Park Service , accessed February 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ Fort Fisher on the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed February 3, 2020.

Sources and literature

Coordinates: 33 ° 58 ′ 18 ″  N , 77 ° 55 ′ 10 ″  W.