McHenry County CWRT Discussion: The Beginning of the End December 1864, January 1865

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group met at Panera Bread on December17, 2022 to discuss events in these two months.

Of course, a lot was said about the two battles of Fort Fisher in those two months and the fall of the fort on Jan. 15.

On January 15, 1865, Confederate General Beauregard arrived in Tupelo, Mississippi, to inspect what was left of the Army of Tennessee.  There wasn't much to inspect.  It was in complete chaos.

He sent 4,000 of them to Mobile to reinforce that garrison and furloughed 3,500 to go home.  (You have to wonder how many returned after the furlough was over.

Also in South Carolina, Charleston Harbor was abandoned.  The Union fleet was preparing a demonstration to draw attention away from its entrance to the harbor.

The USS Patapsco hit a torpedo while participating in obstruction removal and sank with the loss of 75 of her 105 man crew.  One of the few survivors was its executive officer, Lieutenant William T. Sampson who would later find fame for the naval victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group: Quiz on Fort Fisher

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group met December 17, 2022 at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with "The Beginning of the End: December 1864-January 1865" as the topic.

I made up a list of questions to get us started.  Since the two Battles of Fort Fisher took place in those two months, I made up some questions about you-know-what to get us started.

Answers are below:

FORT FISHER

1.  What was the length of the land face and sea face of Fort Fisher?

2.  Who were the fort's two commanders during the two attacks?

3.  Who commanded the Union Army and Union Navy during the First Battle of Fort Fisher?

4.  What was Benjamin Butler's secret plan to destroy the fort?

5.  Who commanded the Union Army during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher?

*******************************

ANSWERS

1.  Half mile land face, one mile sea face.  (It formed the upside down letter "L".)

2.  Col. William Lamb was the fort's commander, and assisted by General W.H.C. Whiting.

3.  Benjamin Butler commanded the Army and David Dixon Porter commanded the Navy.

4.  Loaded a ship with gunpowder and blew it up.

5.  Alfred Terry

How'd You Do?  --Old Secesh

The First Battle of Fort Fisher Ended on Christmas Day, December 25, 1864

From the December 25, 2020, AeroTech News "Remembering Christmases past, major  military events."

For most of the Civil War, Fort Fisher, guarding the port of Wilmington, North Carolina, saw very little combat.  But that changed as Christmas 1864 approached.  The Union decided to close that last port of the Confederacy still open to the rest of the world.  The effort ended in a debacle.

First, the Union attempted to load a ship with explosives, run it in close to the sand fort and explode with the idea that the force of the explosion would knock down the fort's walls.  It didn't work, but alerted the fort's Confederate defenders that an attack was near.

The morning of December 23, the Union fleet, the largest gathering of U.S. ships until that time, moved in close to the fort and opened fire, expending some 10,000 shells in the process.

--Old Secesh

Fort Fisher 147 Years Ago Today

** Instead of overwhelming Curtis' vulnerable troops, Bragg let them escape from the beach.

** Fort Fisher fires a defiant volley as the Union fleet sails away.

** During the night, the steamer Wild Rover runs the blockade at New Inlet.

** Lamb and Whiting are greatly dissatisfied at Bragg's inactivity and failure to crush the enemy forces ashore.

** Union general U.S. Grant and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles are infuriated to learn the Fort Fisher expedition a failure.

Kind of interesting that a descendant of Bragg is now in charge of the battleship USS North Carolina in Wilmington.

Finally, Good News for the Confederacy, But Not for Long. --Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher Attacked 147 Years Ago

Every year, I write about the two battles fought at Fort Fisher at this time.

Today, 147 years ago, the experiment to blow up a US ship full of gunpowder in hopes of knocking down the fort's earthen parapets had happened at 1:40 am in the morning. the fort still stood.

At dawn, the 64-ship Union fleet moves into position to attack the fort., opening at 12:40 pm, in about an hour from now. The navy's five largest frigates ate on hand: Susquehannah, Wabash, Colorado, Powhattan and Minnesota. The Colorado alone mounted more guns than the whole fort.

Eventually, around 10,000 shells fired at Fisher. At dusk, the Union fleet withdraws to positions further out at sea.

The next day, the bombardment continued and troops were landed, but later taken off.

No entry tomorrow because of it being Sunday.

Merry Christmas. --Old B-R'er

Butler's Folly at Fort Fisher

It was on this date, December 23, 1864, as a prelude to the first attack, that the powder ship USS Louisiana was towed by the USS Wilderness in close to shore at Fort Fisher, protecting Wilmington, NC, with the intention of blowing up with such force as to knock the fort's earthen walls down.

This was Union General Benjamin Butler, commander of the strike force, idea. Some 215 tons of gunpowder was placed aboard along with an elaborate system of fuses and detonation system.

The ship blew up at 1:40 AM Christmas Eve. The force of the explosion rattled the ships about 12 miles out to sea as well as the fort, but did no dame and came to be called "Butler's Folly."

The First Battle of Fort Fisher. --B-Runner

144th Anniversary of the First Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 4

Dec. 28, 1864-- 144 years ago.

MORNING-- The blockade-runner Banshee enters at New Inlet.

5:30 PM-- President Lincoln asks Grant, "If there be no objection, please tell me what you understand of the Wilmington expedition, present and prospective."

Grant replies, "The Wilmington expedition has proven a gross and culpable failure. many of the troops are now back here. Delays and free talk of the object of the expedition enabled the enemy to move troops to Wilmington to defeat it. After the expedition sailed from Fort Monroe, three days of fine weather were squandered, during which the enemy was without a force to protect himself. Who is to blame I hope will be known."

Why, that guy would be Beast Butler himself.

A great day for the Confederacy, but not long-lived. Union forces would come back in three weeks, this time under the command of General Alfred Terry.

So Much for the First Battle. --Old B-Runner

144th Anniversary of the First Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 2

It was 144 years ago today, Christmas Day and the Union attacking Confederates at Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

Again, this is taken from the North Carolina Historic Sites.

http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/battle-1.htm

MORNING-- About 20 Union vessels shell beach north of the fort, specifically Sugar Loaf, Battery Gatlin, and Battery Anderson to pave way for Union Army's landing.

2 PM- Union Navy force under Lt. Cmdr. Cushing look for channel at New Inlet for possible attempt by shallower-draft gunboats to get behind the fort.

2 PM- Union infantry land on beach. Union General N. Martin Curtiss first ashore, followed by 500 men. Fighting with Kirkland's skirmishers. Curtiss and 142nd and 112th NY strike and drive them away.


3 PM-- Union forces advance to within mile and a half of fort. Curtiss pushes to within 75 yards of Shepherd's Battery.


3:20 PM-- Lt. Waller of 142nd NY pilfers the large garrison flag from outside the fort. It had been shot down by the naval bombardment. Lt. George Simpson climbs a telegraph pole and severs the line. Saw the inside of the fort.

Gen. Butler, in overall charge, decides the fort is too strong and his forces are between two strong Confederate positions.

DUSK-- Dark clouds roll in and wind picks up.

NIGHTFALL-- Federal Chief Engineer Comstock, Second Division commander general Ames decide to attack the fort. Curtiss advances a skirmish line of 3rd, 117th, and 142nd NY toward fort.

DARK-- Union Naval bombardment ceases.


Inside Fort Fisher, Lamb and Whiting hurry Confederate troops from bomb proofs to face impending attack. Open fire on advancing troops. Comstock and Ames alarmed by this and decide to follow Butler's orders to withdraw.

Curtiss and his men remain near the fort until a staff officer arrives to tell him the Federal landing force has returned to the transports.

By the time Curtiss gets to the landing site, the weather is too bad to disembark so about 600 men and several hundred Confederates captured earlier are force to remain stranded on the beach for two days.


Will Gen. Bragg Take Advantage of This. Wait and See. --Old B-R'er

144th Anniversary of the First Battle of Fort Fisher

Today marks the 144th anniversary of what is sometimes called the Christmas Battle.

On this date, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1864, the Federal attack on the Confederate fort began in earnest.

A Chronology of the battle.

1:40 AM-- The powder ship Louisiana is blown up off the fort with the hopes the concussion from the explosion will knock down the fort's earthen walls. It didn't.


DAWN-- In a thick fog, the Union fleet begins moving into battle positions off the fort.


12:40 PM-- Sixty-four ships open fire. Five of the Navy's largest ships, the Susquehanna, Wabash, Colorado, Minnesota, and Powhattan are among them along with the ironclad New Ironsides and four monitors. The USS Colorado alone mounts more guns, 52, than the entire fort, 47. The Union fleet mounts over 600 cannons.


1:00 to 4:30 PM-- Confederate Brig. General William Kirkland's 1,300 man Brigade, part of Hoke's Division, had reached Wilmington around midnight of the 23rd and reached Confederate defenses at Sugar Loaf, north of the fort. There they join about 1200 men and boys of the North Carolina Junior and Senior reserves, a regiment of cavalry and two batteries of artillery.


1 PM to DUSK-- Union fleet pounds the fort with over 10,000 rounds. Col. Lamb's headquarters, barracks, and other outlying buildings destroyed. Confederate return fire and hit some vessels.


LATE AFTERNOON-- Confederate Major General W.H.C. Whiting enters the fort and confers with Colonel Lamb.


DUSK-- The Union fleet hauls off to positions farther out to sea.

Confederate casualties first day= zero. Rounds expended= 672

From North Carolina Historic Sites.

Merry Christmas to Fort Fisher. --Old Blockade-Runner