Fort Fisher (2)

Fort Fisher (2) (1861-1865) - A Confederate Coastal fortification established in 1861 as Battery Bolles during the U.S. Civil War on the peninsula between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Battery Bolles was named for Captain Charles P. Bolles and it was later included in the Fort Fisher complex that was named for Captain Charles F. Fisher, who was killed at the battle of First Manassas (21 Jul 1861). Fort Fisher was captured by Union forces on the second attempt on 15 Jan 1865 and remained in Union hands until abandoned at the end of the war in 1865.

Fort Fisher Shepard's Battery Replica Cannon	Fort Fisher Battery Buchanan
Fort Fisher Earthworks

U.S. Civil War (1861-1865)

The fortifications on Federal Point were made necessary by the Federal blockade of the entrance to Wilmington harbor. By fortifying the point, Confederate gunners could keep Federal gunboats far enough away to enable blockade runners to slip into the harbor.

Constructions began early in 1861 on what became Battery Bolles. Major Charles P. Bolles started the fortifications and the battery was named for him. A series of officers oversaw a piecemeal expansion of the batteries until the arrival of Colonel William Lamb in July 1862. Colonel Lamb designed an "L" shaped fortification with a sea face almost a mile long and a land face that spanned the width of the point. He incorporated the existing batteries into the plan and built new batteries to fill the gaps. At the end of the sea face he built a towering 43 foot high battery that came to be known as the Mound Battery or Battery Lamb. The completed fortifications included bombproofs, magazines, covered ways, massive traverses and protected gun positions. A separate 4 gun Battery Buchanan was built at the south end of the point to guard the inlet. By October 1864 the works were essentially complete and the batteries mostly armed. The list of batteries and armament indicates that this was a formidable fortification.

**Fort Fisher Confederate Batteries & Armament**
Waterside Batteries	Landside Battery
Battery Buchanan 2 - 11" Brooke Smoothbore, 2 - 10" Columbiad Mound Battery (Battery Lamb) 1 - 10" Columbiad Battery Hedrick 2 - 10" Columbiads Lenoir Battery 1 - 7" Brooke Rifle, 1 - 6 3/8" Rifle 32 Battery Roland 2 - 10" Columbiads Purdie Battery 1 - 8" 150 Pounder Armstrong Rifle Battery Bolles 2 - 6 3/8" Rifle 32 Columbiad Battery 5 - 8" Columbiads, 1 - 7" Brooke Rifle Battery Cumberland 1- 10" Columbiad Battery Meade 3 - 10" Columbiad, 1 - 6 3/8" Rifle 32	2 - 10" Columbiad 4 - 8" Columbiad 1 - 7" Brooke Rifle 3 - 6 1/2" Rifle 32 7 - 6 3/8" Gun 32 1 - 5 7/8" Gun 2 - 5 1/2" Coehorn Mortar 1 - 4 1/2" Parrott Rifle Main Sally Port 2 - Light 12 pounders

First Battle of Fort Fisher

The first attack on Fort Fisher began on 25 Dec 1864. -TBF-

Second Battle of Fort Fisher

The second attack on Fort Fisher began on 12 Jan 1865 and lasted almost three days. -TBF-

Current Status

State Historic Site, New Hanover County, North Carolina

USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 985320

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Location: Fort Fisher State Historic Site, New Hanover County, North Carolina.

Maps & Images

Lat: 33.9698958 Long: -77.9180417

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: 13'

Sources:

Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 614-615

Links:

Visited: 27 Jan 2010

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