January 13, 1865, the Beginning of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 2

In the meantime, General Terry  selected a beachhead out of the range of Fort Fisher's guns and made naturally defensible on the northern side by a line of swamps and woods, extended across the peninsula where he landed his 8,000 troops unopposed.

This landing was supported by U.S. Navy warships.

That unopposed land has been the question raised ever after as General Bragg, the Confederate overall commander of Wilmington, did nothing to oppose it.

By daybreak of the 14th Terry had thrown up a line of defensive breastworks facing Wilmington, to the north.  This was to protect against any attack from that direction by Bragg's 6,000 troops.

Porter wrote Welles:  "We have a respectable force landed on a strip of land, which our naval guns completely command, and a place of defense which would enable us to hold against a very large army."

--Old B-R'er