Fort Fisher
Until its capture by the Union army in 1865, Fort Fisher
was the largest earthwork fortification in the world. The “Gibraltar of the
South” protected the port
of Wilmington and ensured
that the Confederacy had at least one “lifeline” until the last few months of
the Civil War.
Confederate blockade runners had little difficulty eluding
the U.S.
blockade, and Colonel William Lamb, the fort’s commander from 1862 to 1864,
organized their efforts. The runners delivered goods in Wilmington, and The Wilmington and Weldon
Railroad transported these goods to supply Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern
Virginia.
Fort Fisher was a formidable post.
Several times Lamb and his men withstood Union attacks. In December 1864,
for instance, the Union had loaded a warship
with 185 tons of gunpowder and floated it approximately 200 feet from the “L”
shaped fort. The fort withstood the explosion and the ensuing
barrage that has been described as “the most awful bombardment that was ever
know for the time.”
Confederate fortune ran out in January 1865. On January 12, Union ships
bombarded the fort. Some have estimated the Union firepower to be
approximately 100 shells per minute. The incessant Union fire continued
until mid-day on January 15, when Union troops stormed the fort from all
sides. Hand-to-hand combat ensued. A few hours later, Union troops
captured the fort. With the fort’s capture, the Confederacy lost only
remaining supply line to its infantry protecting the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia.
Sources:
John G. Barrett, The
Civil War in North Carolina (Chapel Hill, 1963); John S. Carbone, The
Civil War in Coastal North Carolina (Raleigh, 2001); William S. Powell ed.,
Encyclopedia of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, 2006); William S. Powell, North
Carolina Through Four Centuries (Chapel Hill, 1989).
See Also:
Related
Categories: Civil War
Related Encyclopedia Entries: John W. Ellis
(1820-1862), Bunker Hill
Covered Bridge, Secession,
Salem
Brass Band, Confederate
States Navy (in North Carolina), United
States Navy (Civil War activity), James
Iredell Waddell (1824-1886), CSS Neuse,
USS
Underwriter, Warren
Winslow (1810-1862), Prelude to
the Battle of Averasboro, The Battle
of Averasboro-Day One, Louis Froelich
and Company, Louis
Froelich (1817-1873), North
Carolina Button Factory, CSA Arms
Factory, Ratification
Debates, Peace Party
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Bragg (1817-1876), Daniel
Harvey Hill (1821-1889), Battle of
Bentonville, Bryan Grimes
(1828-1880), Fort Hatteras,
Fort
Clark, Fort
Macon, Daniel
Russell (1845-1908), The
Impending Crisis of the South: How to Meet It, Union League,
Incidents
in the Life of a Slave Girl, Levi Coffin
(1798 – 1877), Raleigh E.
Colston (1825 - 1896) , Thomas
Fentriss Toon (1840-1902), Robert
Fredrick Hoke (1837-1912), Battle of
Forks Road, Aaron
McDuffie Moore (1863-1923), Harriet
Jacobs (1813-1897) , Fort
Anderson (Confederate), Battle of
Deep Gully and Fort Anderson (Federal), James T.
Leach (1805-1883), Sarah Malinda
Pritchard Blalock (1839-1903), Thomas Bragg
(1810-1872), Curtis Hooks
Brogden (1816-1901), John Motley
Morehead (1796-1866), David Lowry
Swain (1801-1868), Zebulon
Baird Vance (1830-1894), Alamance
County (1849), Gates County
(1779), Clay County
(1861), Lenoir
County (1791), Union County
(1842), Teague Band
(Civil War), Fort Hamby
Gang (Civil War), Shelton
Laurel Massacre , Parker David
Robbins (1834-1917), Henry Eppes
(1831-1917), Washington
County (1799), Hertford
County (1759), Rutherford
County (1770), Granville
County (1746), Salisbury
Prison (Civil War), Stoneman's
Raid, James
City, Fort
York, Asa
Biggs (1811 - 1878), Thomas
Clingman (1812 - 1897), Matt W.
Ransom (1826 - 1904), St.
Augustine's College, Peace
College
Related Commentary: Toward an
Inclusive History of the Civil War: Society and the Home Front, Edward
Bonekemper on the Cowardice of General McClellan
Related Lesson Plans: Discussion of
the Lunsford Lane Narrative
Timeline: 1836-1865
Region: Coastal
Plain
