Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Gen. Butler Has a Wilmington Plan

JANUARY 7, 1864:

Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's plan to send the Army steamer Brewster into Wilmington harbor under guise as a blockade-runner "for the purpose of making an attempt upon the shipping and blockade runners in the harbor" was dropped upon learning of Confederate counter-measures for such an attempt.

Brig. General Charles K. Graham reported to Rear Admiral S.P. Lee that while they might succeed in running past Fort Caswell or Fort Fisher while doing so, it would be thwarted by the chain that stretched across the Cape Fear at Fort Lee.

At this point, all blockade-runners were required to come to (stop) until permission to continue farther into Wilmington.

Under these circumstances, Graham concluded, "It would be madness to make the attempt."

That Sneaky Old "Beast." --Old B-Runner

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