This March, my wife and I were able to visit the Fort Fisher State Historic Site in North Carolina. The battles for Fort Fisher were part of the Union’s campaign to close the key port of Wilmington, NC. Blockade runners coming in and out of Wilmington helped sustain the Confederate economy and war effort during 1864-65. The fall of Fort Fisher in January 1865 crippled the Confederacy’s capacity to supply its armies.
I’m intrigued by the personalities involved in the various Civil War campaigns. The two battles for Fort Fisher bring together a number of characters, including Generals Braxton Bragg, W.H.C. Whiting, Benjamin Butler, Alfred Terry, and Adelbert Ames.
I’m currently reading Confederate Goliath: The Battle of Fort Fisher by Rod Gragg. Gragg’s account is very engaging, and I would recommend it. For additional information on the state historic site itself, please visit: https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/fort-fisher.
Please enjoy the pictures. I hope to build out this page over time.
Union soldiers on the western edge had to wade through the marsh in order to reach the fort’s gate.
Fort Fisher monument standing in what would have been the center of the fort
© 2019 Tyler Gaastra
