From the Dec. 16, 2014, Jacksonville (NC) Daily News "150 years after Fort Fisher fight, Civil War is big business" by Ben Steelman.
In just a few weeks, Fort Fisher, North Carolina will be observing the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, the one that caused its surrender on January 15, 1865. Historian Rowena Reed referred to this as "the largest amphibious operation in American history until the Allied invasion of Normandy, nearly 80 years later."
Sixty warships pounded the fort with thousands of shells. Some 10,000 soldiers came ashore near Myrtle Sound (near Carolina Beach) and some 2000 sailors and Marines attacked the fort's 1500 defenders in a very hard fought, but lopsided battle in the Union favor.
The Friends of Fort Fisher(of which I am a member) is holding a reunion January 14-15 for descendants of the soldiers, sailors and Marines who fought at the battle on either side. They had figured on having 50-60 attend, but so far they have 150 registered.
Those attending this will receive two days of VIP tours, lectures and presentations by conservators of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh on how to save family papers and memorabilia. (Hopefully new items will be found.) These descendants will be encouraged to write down family oral history pertaining to Fort Fisher.
Wish I Could Be There. --Old B-R'er
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