Fort Fisher
Civil War North Carolina

American Civil War
December 7-27, 1864

Major General Benjamin Butler was relieved of command of the Army of the James and assigned to lead an amphibious expedition against Fort Fisher, which protected Wilmington, the South's last open seaport on the Atlantic coast.

Learning that large numbers of Union troops had embarked from Hampton Roads on December 13, Lee dispatched Hoke's Division to meet the expected attack on Fort Fisher.

On December 24, the Union fleet under Rear Admiral David D. Porter arrived to begin shelling the fort. An infantry division disembarked from transports to test the fort's defenses.

The Federal assault on the fort had already begun when Hoke approached, discouraging further Union attempts.

Butler called off the expedition on December 27 and returned to Fort Monroe.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: New Hanover County

Campaign: Expedition against Fort Fisher (December 1864) only battle in campaign Campaigns

Date(s): December 7-27, 1864

Principal Commanders: Rear Admiral David D. Porter and Major General Benjamin Butler [US]; Major General Robert Hoke [CS]

Forces Engaged: Expeditionary Corps, Army of the James [US]; Hoke's Division and Fort Fisher Garrison [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 320 total

Fort Fisher, North Carolina Interior view of the Confederate defenses "Pulpit"

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Civil War History Book Club Selected Reading Titles

This book contains an examination of the army that General William Tecumseh Sherman led through Georgia and the Carolinas, in late 1864 and early 1865. Instead of being just another narrative of the March to the Sea and Carolina campaigns, however, Glatthaar's book is a look at the individuals that composed the army. In it, he examines the social and ideological backgrounds of the men in Sherman's army, and evaluates how they felt about various factors of the war--slavery, the union, and, most significantly, the campaign in which they were participating. The result is a fascinating look at Sherman's campaigns through the eyes of the everyday soldier. Glatthaar makes the army come alive, and shows the men not as heartless animals who delighted in wanton destruction, not as mechanized marching machines who could perform the most difficult marches without even flinching, but instead as real human beings, complete with sore feet, empty stomachs, and minds engaged in contemplation over the ethical ramifications of what they were doing to the people of the South.
Hess studies the use of fortifications by tracing the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia from April 1861 to April 1864. He considers the role of field fortifications in the defense of cities, river crossings, and railroads and in numerous battles. Blending technical aspects of construction with operational history, Hess demonstrates the crucial role these earthworks played in the success or failure of field armies. He also argues that the development of trench warfare in 1864 resulted from the shock of battle and the continued presence of the enemy within striking distance, not simply from the use of the rifle-musket, as historians have previously asserted.

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.