Conflict: American Civil War
Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals
Location: North Carolina (USA)
Outcome: Confederate victory
In the closing days of the American Civil War, Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina, became the last link to overseas supplies for the Army of Northern Virginia. In December of 1865, the Federal army began operations to close down this vital source of supply. Admiral David Porter's squadron of warships coordinated an assault on the fort with General Benjamin Butler. But, after a exploding a powder-filled vessel near the fort and briefly landing troops, Butler retreated.
Points of Interest:
Benjamin Butler's ignoble actions at Fort Fisher were not out of the ordinary. Butler was a lawyer with a lackluster military career. After the war, he became a politician serving in the House of Representatives and as Governor of Massachusetts.
Fort Fisher would be taken by the Federals in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher the following month.
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Sources:
Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.
Catton, Bruce (1955). This Hallowed Ground. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc.
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Hogue, James M. & McPherson, James M. (2009). Ordeal By Fire. New York: MaGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.
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