The Union general-in-chief of the Union war effort at this point was U.S. Grant. he wanted to use Wilmington as a base for an advance on Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Railroad lines from the coast and, of course, the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad (which ran from Wilmington to Goldsboro), could be used to resupply the Army of William T. Sherman as it moved through the Carolinas heading for Goldsboro.
In February 1865, the Union XXIII arrived from Tennessee to reinforce the Fort Fisher Expeditionary Corps commanded by Major General Alfred H. Terry.
Major General John M. Schofield took command of the combined force and started moving toward Wilmington in mid-February.
--Old B-R'er
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