Fort Fisher Confederate Veterans 1865-1935

The Fort Fisher Museum at Kure Beach, North Carolina, has a new exhibit by the entrance about the organizations of veterans who participated in the two battles for the fort.

I have written about them before.

In 1875, the fort's commander, Colonel William Lamb organized the first reunion in Wilmington. By the 1890s, the two sides had begun to reconcile enough, that former enemies participated in the reunions.

The 1907 reunion was the largest with more than 500 old warriors attending. At it, former Private Benjamin Seeley of the 117th New York met the wounded man he had captured 42 years earlier, James Smith, and the two men were photographed shaking hands.

A photo of the 1905 reunion was also on exhibit.

One of the purposes of the reunions and associations was to have Fort Fisher made into a national park, but that never came to pass.

Let the Old Bad Times Be Remembered. --Old B-Runner

Back Then: Fort Fisher Survivors Association

Feb. 10th Wilmington Star News back then column.

In a continuing effort, the Feb. 4, 1910, newspaper reported that Reverend J. A. Smith and H. C. McQueen, both of Wilmington, had travelled to Washington, DC along with two Union veterans, all of whom belonged to the Fort Fisher Survivors Association, in order to try to get the fort made into a national park.

I have read about them trying several times to do this. But, alas, never a success. But, at least it became a state park.

Go Fort Fisher. --Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher Survivors Association: H. C. McQueen

As I mentioned in the last post, I'd never heard of H. C. McQueen in connection with Fort Fisher. I didn't find anything on him with the search word Fort Fisher, but did with Wilmington.

He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1912 from Wilmington, NC. His grave site is unknown.

Then, he was very involved in Wilmington and North Carolina's business from the early 1900s. He evidently did not live in Wilmington before 1900, but did afterwards.

One source showed him as President of the Murchisen National Bank of Wilmington and was a director of the Peoples Bank in Goldsboro, NC (my hometown). He was Chairman of the Board of the Peoples Savings Bank of Wilmington with $65,000 capital.

In 1919, he was shown as President of the Carolina Insurance Company. I found nothing of his being a Fort Fisher survivor. If he wasn't, perhaps he was on the Executive Committee for his business acumen.

I was unable to find out anything about R. W. Price or Jas. A. Smith. I have also not found any records of the Fort Fisher Survivors Association, other than a few mentions in the Back Then column in the Wilmington Star News.

Still a Mystery. --Old B-Runner

Back Then: Fort Fisher Survivors Association to Petition Congress

The Wilmington Star News ran a Back Then column for hundred years earlier.

The December 25, 1908 (Christmas Day) issue had an article about the Fort Fisher Survivors Association calling for a special meeting of the group in Washington, DC, to bring before Congress a call to create a national park at Fort Fisher.

The group evidently was one composed of both Confederate and Union participants of the battle as the Executive Committee (which called for the meeting) consisted of William Lamb (the fort's commander, N. M. Curtis (a Union general), Jas. A. Smith, H. C. McQueen, and R. W. Price. I am not familiar with the last three, but will look them up.

So even back then, there was an effort to turn the fort into a historical site. Today, it is part of the North Carolina State Historic sites, and the state has done an excellent job slowing down the ocean's constant attack and preserving what is left of the old dirt/sand fort. So, evidently, this effort failed.

Fort Fisher, a Great Place to Visit and a Blockade-Runner's Best Friend. --Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher Survivors Reunion

I have been following the remaining the remaining survivors of World War I, one of whom just died July 25th, leaving just three still alive.

The Utica (NY) paper reports that back in 1909, the Civil War had been over 44 years. Two years earlier, in 1907, the Fort Fisher Survivors of the Confederate Army had invited the 117th New York Volunteers Association to a reunion in Wilmington (the paper said it was Delaware, but I'm sure they meant North Carolina).

The 117th New York was recruited from Oneida County and had participated in the Battle of Fort Fisher.

Then, in 1909, the 117th returned the invitation and invited the Confederates to one of their reunions. The Confederates accepted.

So, even back then, veterans were getting together. Especially interesting was the fact these men had fought against each other. However, I should mention that after the war, the Confederate commander of the fort, Col. William Lamb became very good friends with General Newton Martin Curtis, who led Union forces at the battle.

Way Back Then. --Old B-Runner