First Battle of Fort Fisher Ends Today, 154 Years Ago

Huge naval bombardments took place on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 24 and 25, 1864.  An estimated 10,000 shells were fired at the fort both days.

Union Army units under the command of General Benjamin Butler were landed north of the fort, but it was determined that the fort was still too strong to be attacked and most of the men withdrawn back to the transports, but several hundred were stranded ashore due to decreasing weather conditions and weren't taken off until December 27.

The first attack on the fort was a Union failure and one of the last things the Confederacy could cheer for.

--Old B-Runner