The Nov. 19, 2008 "North Carolina Minute" column by J.C. Knowles, was about several people connected with the Civil War, Goldsboro, and Fort Fisher.
He started with a review of Emily Weil's book "Goldsboro at the end of the Civil War."
The city was an important rail destination and staging area in the Confederacy's final days.
He also wrote about Confederate Major General James G. Martin, who was a West Point 1840 graduate and lost an arm in the Mexican War and led Confederate troops.
Hiram Louis Grant was from Woonsocket, RI, and enlisted in 1861 in the 6th Connecticut. By 1963, he was a major and took part in the attack on Fort Wagner, Charleston, SC, and was badly wounded, receiving a Medal of Honor for his bravery. Upon release from the hospital, he was assigned to the 10th Corps and fought in Virginia and in the assault at Fort Fisher. Later, he became provost marshal of Wilmington and Goldsboro before being discharged in 1866. He later became very involved in NC education.
William Turner Faircloth was a Goldsboro lawyer who became a first lieutenant in Confederate service. In 1963, he was at Camp Wyatt in New Hanover County and spent 30 days building and defending Fort Fisher before being sent to Virginia. After the war, he returned to Goldsboro and continued his law career, becoming the state chief justice later.
Great Columns for North Carolinians. --Old B-R'er
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
