Continued from Feb. 17th.
Captain Galloway "sent a runner to find the men and they began to show up late on the evening of Jan. 15. Some of them went to the last battery where they had been before. His company was about 140 men strong so could be placed anywhere."
Union forces, this time landed five miles north of the Fort Fisher, out of range of the guns. "It was almost 10 o'clock that evening before they fought their way to the last battery where Grandpa Joe and his buddies were manning cannons and rifles."
His grandfather felt it "was heavily barricaded and they felt they could hold the invaders off. Finally, he heard them beating at the door with battering rams. Some gunners were still working on reinforcing the tunnel door with heavy timbers. The next thing he knew, someone came through the door followed by more figures as the Union troops came pouring through."
"In the dim light of pine tar torches, Grandpa said he could only see figures and he began to shoot his rifle, but his gun jammed and he didn't have time to reload before they were fighting hand-to-hand."
"Using the butt of his gun, he began to swing it as a club, but was soon over powered. Some have said that Grandpa Joe was the last man to surrender inside the fort."
He was taken prisoner and sent to New York where he was put on a train and sent to Elmira, NY where he remained until the end of the war when he made his way home with other survivors of his company, part of the way courtesy of Union trains and walking the rest of the way.
Very interesting account of the final battle for Fort Fisher. A bit confusing and with what I expect some incorrect times and situations. Was the last battery Fort Buchanan? Or perhaps the end of the fort's main sea defenses? Not surprising as this was oral history and many years after the war.
Good Story. --Old B-R'er
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
