Fort Fisher's Historic Importance Largely Forgotten-- Part 1

From the Jan. 11, 2015, Fayetteville (NC) Observer by Chick Jacobs.

People thinking about the Civil War in North Carolina most-often think of the name Sherman.  Fort Fisher might even be an afterthought, but usually isn't.  However, historians believe it to be "one of the pivotal conflicts of the war."

It is still largely unknown outside of the state.

Jim Leutze, former chancellor of the UNC Wilmington is on the advisory board for the proposed North Carolina Civil War History Center in Fayetteville, gives two reasons for this:

1.  Much of the fort is gone.
2.  There was a lack of drama as the war was about over and there were no dramatic figures (like a Lee or Grant), involved in it.

Without a doubt, General Sherman benefited a whole lot from its fall.

Even though most of the fort is gone, under the waters of the Atlantic, we have a great idea of what it looked like because of the many photographs taken of it after its capture.

--Old B-R'er