Battle of Fort Fisher

Dates:

January 13-15, 1865

Other Names:

None

Location:

Fort Fisher, North Carolina

Key Individuals Involved in the Battle of Fort Fisher:

Union: Rear Admiral David D. Porter and Major General Alfred Terry
Confederate: General Braxton Bragg, Major General Robert Hoke, and Colonel Charles Lamb

Outcome:

UnionVictory. 2,000 casualties

Overview of the Battle :

After the failure of his December expedition against Fort Fisher, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler was relieved of command. Maj. Gen. Alfred Terry was placed in command of a “Provisional Corps,” including Paine's Division of U.S. Colored Troops, and supported by a naval force of nearly 60 vessels, to renew operations against the fort. After a preliminary bombardment directed by Rear Adm. David D. Porter on January 13, Union forces landed and prepared an attack on Maj. Gen. Robert Hoke's infantry line. On the 15th, a select force moved on the fort from the rear. A valiant attack late in the afternoon, following the bloody repulse of a naval landing party carried the parapet. The Confederate garrison surrendered, opening the way for a Federal thrust against Wilmington, the South's last open seaport on the Atlantic coast.
Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries