At President Lincoln’s Urging, General U.S. Grant Prepares to Take Fort Fisher, Key to Union Successes at the End of the War

Welles had written at the President’s suggestion: “The largest naval force ever assembled is ready”

Fort Fisher guarded the port of Wilmington, NC, the last port open to blockade runners supplying Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces in Virginia

 

As 1864 dawned, Wilmington, North Carolina, protected by Fort Fisher, was one of the Confederacy’s last remaining major ports on the Atlantic open to blockade runners, and was the chief supply line for General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles reintroduced the idea of a joint operation against Wilmington to the Secretary of the War, Edwin Stanton, but Stanton saw it as premature. After the Navy’s occupation of Mobile Bay in August, all eyes turned to Wilmington. In October 1864, Wilmington finally became the next objective for a joint amphibious operation. Admiral David Porter was chosen to command the naval squadron and General Benjamin Butler the army contingent.

On December 24, the 63 ships of Porter’s fleet prepared to bombard the fort. Thirty-seven ships formed in three lines of battle, end-to-end facing the enemy. Just after midday, Porter commenced the Navy’s first bombardment of the fort and continued firing until it became too dark to aim the guns effectively. While the Confederate troops hid and huddled beneath the mounds of the fort, this bombardment actually did little damage, with the exception of the wooden quarters of the garrison, which were set ablaze. Butler’s force returned too late on that first night to attempt a landing. The next morning, December 25, the fleet resumed its barrage, while a naval contingent sought to secure a landing area for the Union infantry north of the fort. A group of sailors was sent to take soundings south of the fort, but Porter withdrew the sounding party after it became clear that the army group was making no progress north of the fort. The timely arrival of Confederate reinforcements caused Butler to question the strength of his position. He felt his forces could not take the fort without a siege, for which they were unprepared. Butler immediately began to re-embark his soldiers. On December 27, he called off the expedition and directed the transports to return to Hampton Roads. The U.S. Navy had suffered 83 casualties and the U.S. Army 12. Thus, the first attempt by the Union forces to close the port of Wilmington ended in failure. While Butler returned to Hampton Roads, Porter remained off the coast of North Carolina dedicated to preparing another attempt to capture Fort Fisher.

Following the fall of Savannah on December 21, 1864, General William T. Sherman prepared to march through the Carolinas. Knowing Sherman could soon be in North Carolina, and ready to try to capture the fort again, on December 25 Porter wrote to Sherman, clearly expressing his frustration with Butler’s decision to abandon the joint operation. Porter was also in communication with Welles. With these communications in hand, Welles spoke to President Lincoln, who was all for trying again to take the fort. On December 29, Welles wrote to General U.S. Grant, in overall command of the army, that the President hoped that another joint operation might be forthcoming.

Welles’s telegram to Grant stated: “December 29, 1864, at 9:30 pm. The substance of dispatches and reports from Rear-Admiral Porter, off Wilmington, is briefly this: The ships can approach nearer to the enemy’s works than was anticipated. Their fire can keep the enemy away from their guns. A landing can easily be effected upon the beach north of Fort Fisher, not only of troops, but all their supplies and artillery. This force can have its flanks protected by gun-boats. The navy can assist in the siege of Fort Fisher precisely as it covered the operations which resulted in the capture of Fort Wagner. The winter season is the most favorable for operations against Fort Fisher. The largest naval force ever assembled is ready to lend its co-operation. Rear-Admiral Porter will remain off Fort Fisher, continuing a moderate fire to prevent new works from being erected, and the ironclad have proved that they can maintain themselves in spite of bad weather. Under all these circumstances, I invite to such a military co-operations as will insure the fall of Fort Fisher, the importance of which has already received your careful consideration. This telegram is made at the suggestion of the President, and in hopes that you will be able at this time to give the troops which heretofore were required elsewhere. If it cannot be done, the fleet will have to disperse, whence it cannot again be brought to this coast.”

Grant responded to Welles immediately. Autograph letter signed, headquarters at City Point, Va., December 30, 1864, to Welles. “Your dispatch of 9:30 p.m. 29th received. I will advise fully with the Sec. of War about what you propose. Please call on him for information. U.S. Grant, Lieut. Gen.” Thus Grant promised to inform Stanton “fully” about the plan, and requested that Welles consult with Stanton to finalize it. Grant had told Stanton that he did not intend to correspond with the Navy Department except through Stanton, and this letter further indicates that.

Porter had a good working relationship with Grant and a solid record of success in joint operations. Due to this, Welles was able to argue successfully with Lincoln for Porter’s retention as commander. In early January, Porter coordinated directly with Sherman and Grant about plans for a renewal of operations against Fort Fisher. As Sherman marched north, the port of Wilmington was now more important to the U.S. Army than it had been during the first battle for Fort Fisher. Butler rightly took the blame for the first expedition’s failure. For his replacement, Grant chose General Alfred Terry, one of Butler’s staff officers. Grant assigned him the same troops that had participated in the first attempt augmented with an additional brigade for a total of 8,000 soldiers. On January 4, 1865, the second expedition to capture Fort Fisher embarked from Bermuda Landing in Virginia. On January 12, they headed for Fort Fisher. Arriving that night, Porter and Terry prepared to commence their attack the next day. At dawn on January 13, 8,000 Federal soldiers landed above the fort as the Navy began its bombardment. Sailors were landed on the 15th and drew fire. This diversion allowed the army to breach the walls of the fort. By 10 p.m., the fort was in possession of the Federal forces. The Confederates started a retreat, and when Federal infantry caught up with them, General Terry accepted the formal surrender of the fort.

The first battle of Fort Fisher was the most concentrated naval bombardment of the war. The fleet fired 20,271 projectiles into the fort during the first battle. Another 19,682 were fired during the second battle. In total, the U.S. Navy expended 39,953 projectiles at the fort. After Fort Fisher’s capture, Porter proceeded to put vessels over the bar and into the Cape Fear River. He declared the port of Wilmington to be “hermetically sealed against blockade runners”. Five weeks after the fall of Fort Fisher, the Federal army occupied the city of Wilmington. This occupation ended the trickle of supplies coming along the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad to the Army of Northern Virginia. The fall of Wilmington contributed directly to this army’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in April 1865.