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After the failure of his December expedition against Fort Fisher, Major General Benjamin Butler was relieved of command. Major General 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 Admiral David D. Porter on January 13, Union forces landed and prepared an attack on Major General 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. Result(s): Union victory Location: New Hanover County Campaign: Operations against Fort Fisher and Wilmington (January-February 1865) next battle in campaign Campaigns Date(s): January 13-15, 1865 Principal Commanders: Rear Admiral David D. Porter and Major General Alfred Terry [US]; General Braxton Bragg, Major General Robert Hoke, and Colonel Charles Lamb [CS] Forces Engaged: Expeditionary Corps, Army of the James [US]; Hoke's Division and Fort Fisher Garrison [CS] Estimated Casualties: 2,000 total |
Union River Ironclad 1861-65
At the start of the American Civil War, neither side had warships on the Mississippi River. In what would prove the vital naval campaign of the war, both sides fought for control of the river. While the Confederates relied on field fortifications and small gunboats, the Union built a series of revolutionary river ironclads
