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

The Fort's Haunted, Fort Fisher, That Is

Not only do Confederate soldiers haunt Fort Fisher (probably some Yankees as well), but also stories abound that a Confederate general does as well.

From Creepy NC.com.

Fort Fisher, an almost impregnable fortress finally fell to an attack of practically the entire Union fleet and the fact that Confederate General Bragg refused to help the fort. (Well, there was also the Union Army and the Naval Column.)

Confederate General W.H.C. Whiting was wounded and later died from complications of it in a Union prison. Reports have his spirit keeping a ghostly watch out to sea from the fort's remaining parapets.

Whiting did not have to be at the fort during the attack Jan. 13-15, 1865, but came anyway, saying to the fort's commander, Col. William Lamb, "Lamb, my boy. I have come to share your fate."

He was born in Mississippi and graduated West Point at the top of his class and was once also a division commander in the Army of Northern Virginia.

During the hand-to-hand fighting after Union forces gained entrance into the fort, at one point he was called upon to surrender and replied, "Go to hell!!." I've also heard his words were, "Go to hell you Yankee bastards."

Stories are that you can see his ghost on the parapets at dusk.

That About Boos Up the Story. --Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher's Mrs. Lamb-- Part 2-- Now God Will Take Care of My Papa

Late in December 1864, Col. Lamb sent Daisy and the children across the Cape Fear River to Orton Plantation for safety as the Union fleet massed off shore of Fort Fisher. On Christmas Eve, Daisy, with a pair of high-powered binoculars, watched the Federal bombardment of her husband's fort.

Afterwards she wrote, in the midst of the awful roaring and thundering that her son, Dick, approached her. "Mama," he said. "I want to pray to God and for my papa." The child knelt down and "said his little earnest prayer; and feeling the better for it exclaimed, "Oh sister, I'm so glad! I'm so glad! Now God will keep care of my papa!"

They returned to their cottage, which had fallen into enemy hands during the first attack, but had been abandoned on their withdrawal. A short three weeks later, the family was again forced to Orton. This time, their husband and father was not so lucky. He was wounded, captured and sent north as a prisoner.

A Courageous Woman. --Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher's Mrs. Lamb-- Part 1

From the Fort Fisher State Historical Site Gallery page.

Any Fort Fisher person is familiar with Confederate Col. William Lamb, who commanded the fort and partially designed it, but his wife, Sarah Ann "Daisy" Chaffee Lamb, spent almost as much time there as her husband, only leaving during the two attacks.

She was from Providence, Rhode Island. I'm not sure how the two met with him being a southerner.

In 1863, she left Rhode Island and journeyed to Confederate Point (had been Federal Point) to join her husband at the fort. This, of course, would have meant going through enemy lines at some point, another interesting story if it were known.

The colonel had a small cottage built near Craig's Landing, north of the fort where Daisy and the couple's two oldest children lived.

The Attacks Next. --Old B-Runner

Colonel William Lamb-- Commander of Fort Fisher-- Part 2

William Lamb was wounded and captured at the fall of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. His imprisonment was near home, at Fort Monroe, before being released May 1, 1865.

The wound kept him crippled for seven years.

After release, he returned to Norfolk and was involved in several businesses and politics, serving three terms as mayor. While in office, he established public schools in the city for both white and black children.

A loyal supporter of the College of William and Mary, he gave of his time and money throughout his life. He also gave $50,000 to an organization that helped Confederate veterans.

He also became a good friend of Union General Curtis who had led the capture of Fort Fisher and been badly wounded himself. Lamb referred to Curtis as
"My Friend, the Enemy."

Lamb also became known as "The Hero of Fort Fisher. He died March 23, 1909, and was buried in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Hero of Fort Fisher. --Old B-Runner

Colonel William Lamb, Commander of Fort Fisher-- Part 1

From the Salem Street gazette http://salemstreetgazette.com.

William Lamb was born September 27, 1835 in Norfolk, Virginia. He went to several academies before entering William and Mary College in 1852 where he graduated at age 20 with a law degree, but was too young to practice.

His father purchased half interest in a local newspaper, the Southern Argus, which folded in 1861 when most of the staff went off and joined the Confederate Army.

Lamb became captain of Co. C, 6th Virginia and was appointed major and transferred to Wilmington, NC, as head of the Quartermaster Department. He later became commander of Fort St. Phillips, below Wilmington.

When the 36th North Carolina was formed in 1862, he was chosen as its colonel. The 36th became the garrison of Fort Fisher and Lamb was appointed the fort's commander July 4, 1862, a post he retained for the duration of the war.

Under his command, the fort became the largest man-made earthen fort in the United States.

More to Come. --Old B-Runner

Meet Fort Fisher's Daisy Lamb This Weekend

From the October 7th Carolina Beach Today "Celebration at Fort Fisher: Recalling the Parties of Daisy Lamb--October 23rd."

The event will take place Saturday, October 23rd from 10 am to 5 pm.

Sarah Anne Chaffin Lamb, better known Daisy, the wife of Fort Fisher's commander Col. William Lamb, was born in Rhode Island and lived at Fort Fisher from 1863 to its fall in 1865.

The experience coming this Saturday will be primarily from a woman's stand point. Music from the era, both traditional and popular, will be performed by the Huckleberry Brothers and, you can even learn how to dance.

Fort Fisher site historian Ray Flowers will give a talk on the Lambs, and, as a special treat, attendees will get the first chance to view a temporary exhibit of Lamb artifacts that the site has recently acquired.

If you're in a cooking mode, recipes used by Daisy and Wilmington women from that era will be given away. There will also be hands-on activities for the kids.

The 32-pdr. cannon atop Sheppard's Battery will be fired.

Sounds Like a Great Time. Wish I Could Be There. --Old B-Runner

Ghosts at Fort Fisher?

From www.ghosts.com

Both Confederate commanders at Fort Fisher, NC, Colonel Lamb and General Whiting, were wounded in the second battle and both died of the injuries. (Well actually, Whiting died a month later of complications and Lamb lived into the 1900s.)

Ghost sightings began three years after the 1865 battle at a reunion. Three Confederate veterans were walking around and "saw a figure of a man wearing an officer's uniform raise his sword, calling them to follow. As they got closer, they recognized him as General Whiting and as they started to realize what was happening the apparition disappeared."

Other paranormal activity at the fort: An apparition has been seen in the woods (perhaps a Confederate sentinel standing guard?) Footsteps have been heard on the wooden walkways. Locked doors have been opened. The sound of gunshots and cannons have been heard.

I have been to Fort Fisher many times, but have never seen or heard anything out of the ordinary, but, who knows. And, it isn't even Halloween yet.

Like, BOO!!!-- Old B-Runner

The Fort Fisher Armstrong Cannon

From the good folks at Historical Marker Database.

From a plaque at the Fort fisher, NC, Museum.

"The most effective gun in the fort" wrote Col. William Lamb about the 150-pounder Armstrong gun mounted at Purdie Battery midway along the sea front of the fort. (I wonder if it was named after Col. Purdie who was killed at Chancellorsville leading the 18th NC in a charge, the day after his men wounded General Jackson and who I've written about recently?)

It was manufactured by Sir William Armstrong & Co. in England and featured a rifled tube and weighed 16,000 pounds which could hurl a shell up to five miles. However, the gun's effectiveness was greatly reduced because there was not an adequate supply of shells causing it to be rarely fired.

After the fall of the fort, it became a trophy of war and today can be seen at West Point's Monument Point.


According to the Battle of Averasboro Museum, the battery was named for Col. Thomas Purdie.

Quite a Weapon. B-R'er

Fort Fisher's Major James Reilly-- Part 2

James Reilly was an ordnance sergeant in the US Army when he surrendered Fort Johnson and was the sole defender.

He resigned from the US Army and joined the 10th NC Artillery, Co. D, which became known as Reilly's Battery and served in the Army of Northern Virginia until 1863 when he was promoted to major and transferred to Fort Fisher where he became second in command under Col. William Lamb. It was he who surrendered Fort Fisher after Col. Lamb and Gen. Whiting were wounded. So, Reilly had the misfortune to have to surrender two forts in the Wilmington area.

After the war, he returned to Wilmington, NC, and lived there the rest of his life operating the Wilmington and Brunswick Ferry. He died in 1894 and is buried at Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington.

An Interesting Story. --Old B-Runner