January 14, 1865-- Part 2: The CSS Chickamauga and a Two-Pronged Attack

JANUARY 14TH, 1865:  During the day, the CSS Chickamauga fired on recently landed Union troops from her position in the Cape Fear River, but on the 15th the USS Monticello, Lieutenant Commander William B. Cushing, drove the former Confederate raider out of range.

On the evening of the 14th, General Terry visited Porter on his flagship, the USS Malvern, and the two planned the timing of the next day's operations.  The fleet would maintain its bombardment until the moment of attack in mid-afternoon.

Then, half of the 8,000 soldiers would assault the land face at the western end of the fort (by the Cape Fear River) and the 2,000 sailors and Marines from the ships would attack the "northeast bastion" where the fort's land face joined the sea face by the ocean.

The remaining troops would hold the defensive line to the north in case of a possible attack from Bragg in Wilmington.

--Old B-R'er