By late 1864, Wilmington, North Carolina was the last remaining major seaport through which blockade runners could deliver munitions and other supplies to the Army of Northern Virginia. Closure of the port became an imperative objective of the Union. Fort Fisher, located near the southern end of Cape Fear, North Carolina, was the primary defensive works of Wilmington Harbor. Capture or destruction of the fort was critical, if Wilmington were to be eliminated as a port of entry for blockade runners. Accordingly, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, Commander of Union Armies, in December 1864, approved a combined Army/Navy plan to plan to neutralize Fort Fisher. Major General Benjamin Butler was in overall command of the operation, with Rear Admiral David D. Porter, Commander of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, commanding the naval forces. An attempt to capture the fort on December 24-25, 1864 failed when Gen Butler failed to attack Fort Fisher, even though Adm Porter’s ships had neutralized the defenders. A second attempt to capture Fort Fisher on January 13-15, 1865, this time with Major General Alfred H. Terry in command of the army forces, was successful. In this account, I describe , in detail, the navy’s actions in the two attempts.
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Text Copyright, 2024-06-10, by Lowell L. Getz. All Rights Reserved.
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