This is the last fortress protecting the ports of the Confederacy open to trade during the War Between the States. The Garrison held out against overwhelming odds. In the end, it was overwhelmed by a combination of massive numbers on the ground, massed naval firepower and the mind numbing incompetence of General Braxton Bragg.
- It was the last Confederate port open to the Confederacy by the time it fell. - It was the target of the largest naval bombardment up until the World Wars. - It directly supplied the troops of Robert E. Lee from the Wilmington Weldon railroad in Wilmington. - Its fall was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederacy. - It was the largest earthen fort of the Confederacy and was an attempt to offset the advantage rifled cannon fire had against brick and mortar fortifications.
Fort Fisher was the largest obstacle in taking the Wilmington Port which remained open for trade with "blockade runners" bringing supplies up from the Caribbean. The Union had Gen. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia buttoned up in Petersburg but he was still able to get supplies as long as Wilmington Port stayed open. The second of 2 attacks led to the defeat of Ft. Fisher on Jan.15, 1865. On January 19, 1865, Ft. Anderson fell when it's garrison fled to Wilmington. The remaining forts along the Cape Fear River fell along with Wilmington over the next few days. On April 9th of 1865, Robert E. Lee would surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.
I applaud the comment of "mind numbing incompetence" of General Bragg! It would have been better for the Confederacy if he'd never gotten out of Chattanooga. Easy to see why a US army base was named in his honor!
It was a confederate fort during the civil war.
There is an unusual Fort made out of land Hills. A few famous battles were fought here during the Civil War. During World War II they also use this as a military base to test different armaments
One of the biggest Civil War forts of its time in North Carolina.
Civil war and wwII
quite a great deal of fighting to get it took place
Civil war battles against blockade runners
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