Six More Questions on Fort Fisher-- Part 2

Answers below.

6.  The fall of Fort Fisher closed of what Confederate port?

7.  Who was the Confederate general in charge of the whole area who did not attempt to save the fort?

8.  Fort Fisher was built to protect Wilmington and help what kind of ship get into the harbor?

9.  What was the name of the famed Confederate naval officer  who commanded the CSS Albemarle, CSS Florida and also blockade runners?  

10.  Fort Fisher is often called the Malakoff Tower of the South."  In what war was the Malakoff Tower?

11.  Frank Crawford question.  (This means it is really hard.)  Fort Fisher was surrendered buy a Confederate major who had also surrendered Fort Johnston across the Cape Fear River to the Confederate earlier in the war.  What was his name?

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ANSWERS

6.  Wilmington, North Carolina

7.  Braxton Bragg

8.  Blockade Runners

9.  John Newland Maffitt

10.  Crimean War

11.  Major James Reilly

I got them all correct, but, of course, I'm a Fort Fisher nut.

--Old B-Runner

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?

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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

Road Trippin' Through History: Civil War Notables Buried at Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery-- Part 1

One thing I like to do is take a Road Trip Through History, starting with one article and seeing how far and where I can follow it to.  This started in my Running the Blockade blog when I wrote about Marine Sgt. Richard Binder who received a Medal of Honor for his service at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.  He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

That means that I look through lists of people buried there and find anyone of particular interest.  I have been doing this in my Cooter's History Thing blog already.  Plus, I wrote about four other Medals of Honor recipients buried there in my Running the Blockade blog.

Here is one notable of interest who are buried with Sgt. Binder.

ROBERT COOPER GRIER (1794-1870)--   Associate Supreme Court Justice 1846-1870.  He would have been involved with decisions during the war.

I found three others which I will write about in the next post.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 7: Longstreet, Railroads and Cannons

**  General Longstreet was able to move his corps from Virginia to Georgia by rail and took Union forces by surprise which led to victory at Chickamauga.

**  Improvements were made in steam engines plus safety measures.

**  Smoothbore cannons were best against infantry.  

**  Whitworth cannons had a range of 5 miles.  There were some at Fort Fisher.

**  Two main Union foundries:  West Point and Pittsburgh.

**  Trench warfare.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Emancipation, Fisher, New Bern, Monitor and Lee

From the January 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

JANUARY 1, 1863

**  President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

JANUARY 15, 1865

**  Fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

JANUARY 19, 1862

**  Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky

JANUARY 28, 1864

**  Operations around New Bern, North Carolina.

JANUARY 30, 1862

**  The USS Monitor launched at Greenpoint, Long Island, New York.

JANUARY, 31, 1865

**  Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate armies.

A Little Too Late.  --Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 3: William Henry Chase Whiting

He was at Fort Fisher when it was captured by Union forces on January 15, 1865, and wounded.  Taken to Fort Columbus on Governor's Island in New York Harbor as a prisoner, he was recovering from the wound when he contracted dysentery and died March 10, 1865, becoming the highest ranking Confederate officer to die in a Union prison.

He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in New York City, but his widow Kate had the body exhumed in 1900 and sent to Wilmington, North Carolina's Oakdale Cemetery.

One of W.H.C's brothers was Major Jasper Strong Whiting who died of scarlet fever December 25, 1862.

Another brother was Robert Edward Kerr Whiting was later in charge of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets This Saturday, Dec. 17: Topic Is 'The Beginning of the End: Dec. '64 & Jan. '65'

The McHenry (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will meet this Saturday at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from 10 am to 11:30.  We will be in the side room.

This month's topic is "The Beginning of the End:  December 1864 and January 1865."  We will be talking about anything that happened in those two months and somewhat guarantee we will keep on topic.  (Well, sometimes.)

Someone might have something to say about the two battles of Fort Fisher which took place then.

Panera Bread is located at US Highway 14 (Northwest Highway) and Main Street.

Come On Down!  --Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 3: Hood, Ewell, the Heberts and Holmes

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group at Panera Bread on Crystal Lake, Illinois, on July 24, 2022.

**  John Bell Hood:  Lost a leg at Chickamauga and an arm at Gettysburg.

**  Richard S. Ewell fought in the Mexican War.  Was wounded 8 times.

TWO HEBERTS  (Pronounced E-Bear)

**  Louis Hebert :  USMA  1845.   Commander of artillery in and around Fort Fisher.   He was a target of William Cushing in a capture attempt.

**  Paul Octave Hebert:  USMA 1836.  These two were first cousins.

**  Theophilus Hunter Holmes' nickname was "Granny."  USMA 1829   Fort Holmes on Bald Head Island was named for him.  Served as  colonel in the North Carolina Coast Defense in 1861.

Not Sure That I Would Want the Nickname "Granny."   --Old Secesh

Lt. Col. Anthony Eugene Stocker, MD-- Part 3

Medical Director, District of Key West, FL to 8 Dec 1863.  Medical Director of the District of Key West and Tortugas, FL. to Nov 1864 and there  contracted Yellow Fever.

In charge of  Prisoners Hospital, Elmira, NY until mustered out.  This would have been during the time that the prisoners captured at Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865, would have started arriving.

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel US  Volunteers June  1, 1865.  Honorably discharged September 15, 1865.

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University of Pennsylvania MD degree 1840.

Companion Member:  Militay Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Freemason and Master of Franklin Lodge #134.  Royal Arch Mason in Chapter #91 and charter member of Philadelphia Chapter #169 and High Priest in 1852.

Knights Templar in St. Johns Commandery #4 then in Philadelphia #5.  Grand Master of Knights Templar in  Philadelphia 1856.  Scottish Rite 33 and Commander  in Chief of Philadelphia Consistory 1868-1896.

Married  Jane Randolph in 1845.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Ball's Bluff-- Part 4: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War

The Battle of Ball's Bluff led to the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, the bane of many a Union officer.  (I can't help but chuckle thinking about the story of Benjamin Butler appearing before the committee after the mess at Fort Fisher.  Supposedly he was in the middle of testifying that the fort could not be taken when news of its fall reached Washington, D.C.)

Both Brigadier General Charles P. Stone and McClelland blamed Col. Edward Baker for the tremendous loss.  But the committee, made up of members of the U.S. Congress were not about to place the blame on one of their own.

So, the committee went after Stone and had him arrested and confined for six months.  In the end, this ruined Stone's military career..

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**   A good question was brought up by one of the people in attendance and that was "Was the California Brigade made up of mostly men from California?"

Answer:  The California Brigade was kind of a misnomer as very few were from California.  Some had been out to California and returned.  Most of the men were from Philadelphia and New York City.

**  West Point grads had problems commanding such large numbers of troops as were now in uniform for the war.  Before that, most had never commanded more than a company or regiment at most.

**  Stone engineered the base of the Statue of Liberty.

--Old Secesh

Artillery-- Part 10: Talking Whitworths and Rodmans

Col. William Lamb at Fort Fisher had a battery of long-range Whitworth guns that could fire four to four-and-a-half miles out to see.  He had them hooked up to horses and were his "Flying battalion" and would go out to keep blockaders away from stranded blockade runners.

Heavy artillery  generally manned  coastal or river  fortifications and mounted  large immobile guns like Rodmans or the larger Parrott guns.  

During the war, many Union "Heavies" served in the Washington, D.C. defenses and there were a lot of forts around that city.

Some foot batteries were equipped with medium-sized  pieces known as siege guns like 30-pounder Parrotts.  They were mounted on heavy, but relatively  mobile siege carriages which allowed them to follow in the wake of armies and be emplaced in temporary positions whenever the troops were likely to remain in one place for a while.

The Saturday, April 30th discussion group topic will be about "Spies."  It is moved to this date because if the DuPage Civil War Show,

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Artillery-- Part 5: More Exploding Parrotts

From the March 26, 2022, McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group.

**  The cannon called the Swamp Angel at Charleston, South Carolina, was a 200-pounder Parrott and had a gun crew from the 11th Maine.  During its career, it fired 35 massive projectiles, with 10 of them containing an incendiary mixture known as Greek Fire.

Charleston was 4 1/2 miles away.

But six other incendiary shells exploded prematurely.  It exploded on its 36th shot.

**  On December 24, 1864, at Fort Fisher, the 100-pdr Parrott on board the USS Juniata exploded, killing 5 sailors and two officers and badly injured 8 more.

The autopsy of Fireman Theodore Abos:  "left leg, thigh, hip. arm and forearm fractured, soft parts extensively lacerated, killed by hemorrhage and shock."

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT: Artillery--Part 4: Parrott Rifles Exploding at Fort Fisher

On the subject of Parrott rifled guns exploding as mentioned a couple posts ago.

Captain James Alden of the USS Brooklyn moved his two 100-pounder Parrotts to the side of his ship not firing at Fort Fisher after finding out other ones on the fleet had blown up.

The two three-day bombardments of Fort Fisher were the largest naval bombardments of the war.

The December 1864 bombardments caused several 100-pounder Parrott rifles to explode, killing and wounding 45 Union sailors and officers.  Confederate fire from the fort claimed just 11 casualties in December.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group-- Artillery-- Part 3: Parrott Rifles Were Cheap to Make

March 26, 2022

**  A gun meant to fire a 10-pound projectile could weigh over a half  a ton.

**  Cannonballs were used against fortifications and other artillery

**  Case Shot was anti-personnel projectiles.  Mainly a hollow shell filled with shrapnel designed to explode in mid air.

**  Some Confederate artillery was made in country, but this was a very small number compared to what Northern foundries could turn out.

**  Parrott rifles were cheap.  It only cost $187 for the West Point Foundry to produce a 10-pounder Parrott rifle.

**  The West Point Foundry operated around the clock.

**  The heaviest naval bombardment during the war occurred at Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

--Old Secesh

Some More on the XXV Corps (A Fort Fisher and Wilmington Connection)

This unit was black war correspondent Thomas Morris Chester's beat during the war.

I should mention that it also had a Fort Fisher connection.  It was composed of three divisions.  One was under the command of August Kautz, William Birney and Charles J. Paine.

In January 1865, Paine's Division sailed  with Terry's Expedition to attack Fort Fisher in North Carolina, where it rendered effective service although it did not take part in the initial assault.  The division did not rejoin the XXV Corps after that, but remained in North Carolina and participated in the Wilmington Campaign during February.

The post I had about the USCT statue at the Cameron Art Center in Wilmington, N.C., in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog last month is dedicated to these men.  They showed their mettle at this final battle before the fall of Wilmington at the Battle of Forks Road.

--Old Secesh

That Busman's Holiday for Me

I got to thinking about what trip I'd go on during a busman's holiday.  Right off the bat came Fort Fisher as I opined yesterday.   But, is that a true busman's holiday?  What does that have to do with my current employment which is actually retired.  Do I have a regular job of some sort.  I mean, is there something I have to do?

Well, let's see.  Is there something I feel I need to do most every day?  It came to me that I am typing one right now with my two little fingers.  

And, that would be BLOGS.  Blogs, glorious blogs, Waste of time blogs.

So, my Busman's Holiday would have to be something dealing with blogs.

But, What?  --Old SeceshBlog

What Civil War Site Would You Visit on a Busman's Holiday? And, What Is a Busman's Holiday Anyway?

This question was asked of the editorial staff of the December 2021 Civil War Times magazine.

Editor Dana B. Shoaf said Shiloh.  Others said Mobile Bay, Vicksburg and Lookout Mountain.

Of course, little ol' me would want to go to Fort Fisher, especially since I haven't been there since you-know-what hit.

(While reading the Civil War Talk site today, I came across an Obediah Joseph Syfrett, a member of the 25th South Carolina Infantry Regiment, who was captured at Fort Fisher and sent to Elmira Prison Camp, which he survived.  He and his family moved to Texas where he died in 1925.  Now, finding a tidbit of information like that sure does make my day.)

Well, in case you're wondering what a "busman's holiday" is, I looked it up.  I'd heard of it, but wasn't really sure.

Originated in Britain and refers to a period of leisure time where a person does something of a similar nature to his normal occupation.  In case you're wondering.  Now, I know.  You learn something new every day.

There's Old Obediah.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Events in January-- Part 1: States are Seceding

From the American Battlefield Trust "This day in the Civil War."

JANUARY 1, 1863

**  President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

JANAUARY 2, 1863

**  South Carolina troops seize Fort Johnson in Charleston Harbor.

JANUARY  3, 1861

**  Georgia troops seize Fort Pulaski

JANUARY 5, 1861

**  U.S. Senators from seven Southern states meet in Washington, D,C. to discuss secession.

JANUARY 9, 1861

**  Mississippi secedes from the Union, the second state to do so.  South Carolina has already adopted an Ordinance of Secession on December 20, 1860.

JANUARY 15, 1865

**  Fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

--Old Secesh

Events Taking Place in December: USS Cairo-- Nashville-- 13th Amendment-- Fort Fisher-- Mason & Slidell-- Stones River

DECEMBER 12, 1862

The USS Cairo strikes a torpedo and sinks in the Yazoo River, Mississippi.

DECEMBER 15, 1864

The Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, begins.

DECEMBER 18, 1865

The 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, becomes a part of the U.S. Constitution.

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DECEMBER 24, 1864

The first attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, begins.

DECEMBER  26, 1860

Major Robert Anderson evacuates Fort Moultrie for Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

DECEMBER 26, 1861

The U.S. releases Confederate commissioners Mason and Slidell, ending the Trent Affair.

DECEMBER 31, 1862

The Battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro), Tennessee begins.

--Old Secesh

Answers to MCCWRT Prisons Quiz-- Part 2: Fort Fisher and a Great Lakes Warship

9.  Enlisted Confederates captured at Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865, were mostly sent to Elmira Prison Camp in New York.

10.  The Confederate nickname for this prison was "Hellmira" because of the horrific conditions.

11.  Two of the main prisons to which Confederate officers were sent during the war were  both in bodies of water.  One was Fort Columbus in New York Harbor.  The other was Johnson's Island in Lake Erie.

12.  Who was the highest ranking Confederate officer to die while a prisoner?  Maj. Gen. W.H.C. Whiting.  He was wounded at Fort Fisher, recovered from the wound, but died from dysentery.

13.What U.S. warship was the target of a Confederate plot to free officers held at Johnson's Island in Lake Erie?    USS Michigan

14.  The USS Michigan served for a long time but near the end of its career, its name was changed to the USS Wolverine.  Why?  So the name Michigan could be given to the battleship USS Michigan (BB-27).

How'd You Do?  --Old Secesh