Fort Fisher

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Abraham Lincoln, A History, Volume 10 by John Hay and John George Nicolay.

Chapter 3, Fort Fisher and Wilmington.

The ports of Wilmington and Savannah after the capture of New Orleans and the strict blockade of Charleston, and especially after the occupation of Mobile Bay, became the most important and valuable means of communication with the outside world which were left to the Confederacy.

In spite of the utmost efforts of the national vessels, an extensive trade was carried on between these ports and those West Indian islands which had been taken as points of transshipment for the contraband goods exported from England to the Confederacy and for the cotton which formed the only coin by which the South paid its debts to Europe.

There is a good entrance to the river at its mouth and another by New Inlet, six miles in a straight line to the north.

The space between them, merely sand and shallow water, is called Smith's Island, the southern extremity of which is the sharp headland of Cape Fear, beyond which stretch the Frying Pan Shoals for ten miles.

The southern entrance was protected by Fort Caswell, the northern by Fort Fisher.

Between the two, on the mainland, was the village of Smithville, where the blockaders lay in wait, watching their chance to dart out to sea by one or the other sally port.

Butler's record in the field remained deeply flawed, but his faith in black soldiers had just been justified in combat.

That achievement couldn't save his command after one final operation against Fort Fisher, though, and that's going to end in another public failure.

You can't get many of those, guy.

That's crazy.

So Fort Fisher guarded new inlet at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, protecting the route to Wilmington, North Carolina.

By late 1864, Wilmington was the Confederacy's last major Atlantic port, still receiving blockade runners carrying weapons, ammo, clothing, and other supplies from overseas.

Oh, Ulysses S.

a blockade

All right, 1865, here we go.

The battles of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, Hacker's Run, Virginia, Bentonville, North Carolina, Fort Stedman, Virginia, Five Forks, Virginia, the third battle of Petersburg, Virginia, Fort Blakely, Alabama, Sailor's Creek, Virginia, Appomattox Station, Virginia, and finally, the decisive battle at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia on April 8th, 1865, which resulted in Lee's surrender to Grant.

There were a few more minor skirmishes, but the war was over.

So there you have it, an episode of Crash Course entirely about battles.

The approach to Wilmington.

Fort Fisher.

Tactics of the blockading squadron.

Reason of the Banshee's success.

The big hill.

Attacked by gunboats.

Fort Fisher wide awake.

Safely Over the Bar.

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For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Abraham Lincoln, A History, Volume 10 by John Hay and John George Nicolay Chapter 3, Fort Fisher and Wilmington The ports of Wilmington and Savannah after the capture of New Orleans and the strict blockade of Charleston and especially after the occupation of Mobile Bay became the most important and valuable means of communication with the outside world which were left to the Confederacy.

In spite of the utmost efforts of the national vessels, an extensive trade was carried on between these ports and those West Indian islands which had been taken as points of transshipment for the contraband goods exported from England to the Confederacy and for the cotton which formed the only coin by which the South paid its debts to Europe.

There was a peculiarity about the harbor of Wilmington which rendered it the favorite port of entry for blockade runners.

There is a good entrance to the river at its mouth and another by New Inlet, six miles in a straight line to the north.

The space between them, merely sand and shallow water, is called Smith's Island, the southern extremity of which is the sharp headland of Cape Fear, beyond which stretch the Frying Pan Shoals for ten miles.

The southern entrance was protected by Fort Caswell, the northern by Fort Fisher.

Between the two, on the mainland, was the village of Smithville, where the blockaders lay in wait, watching their chance to dart out to sea by one or the other sally port.

THE APPROACH TO WILMINGTON.

FORT FISHER.

TACTICS OF THE BLOCKADING SQUADRON.

REASON OF THE BANCHIES' SUCCESS.

THE LOOKOUT MAN THE DANGERS OF BLOCKADE RUNNING THE FAVORITE COURSE INTO WILMINGTON ALL LIGHTS OUT AN ANXIOUS MOMENT TAKING SOUNDINGS IN THE MIDST OF THE ENEMY A FALSE RECKONING THE BIG HILL ATTACKED BY GUNBOATS FORT FISHER WIDE AWAKE SAFELY OVER THE BAR THE DAYS OF CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS Wilmington was the first port I attempted.

In fact, with the exception of one run to Galveston, it was always our destination.

It had many advantages, though furthest from Nassau it was nearest to headquarters at Richmond, and from its situation was very difficult to watch effectively.

The town itself lies some sixteen miles up the Cape Fear River, which falls into the ocean at a point where the coast forms the sharp salient angle from which the river takes its name.