Pictures of the Old and New Fort Fisher Visitor Centers

The June 25, 2024, Wilmington (NC) Star-News had pictures of the old and new Fort Fisher Visitors Centers.  

The June 25 Wilmington NC WECT TV station had a picture of the destruction of the old one.

Sad But Exciting. --Old B-R'er

A Sad But Exciting Time for Me and Fort Fisher: The Old Visitors Center Is Demolished

From the June 25 WECT, Wilmington, N.C., News.

It is the end of an era for a museum showcasing the history of our area.

Crews are working as of Tuesday, June 25, to tear down the old Fort Fisher Visitor Center.

This comes as the new Visitors Center nears completion and is set to open later this summer.

If you've been down to Fort Fisher recently. you will have seen the new building being built right next to the old one.

The demolition of the old building should take a couple days.

(Sadly, it should be down now.)

Sad to see the old one go.  Excited about the new one.

----Old B-Sorrow

Raising State Funds for the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher

From the April 28, 2023, Wilmington (NC) Star News "From Venus' Flytraps to wetlands, what 4 proposed bills could mean  for the Wilmington area" by Gareth McGrath.

Yesterday I wrote about the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher's new otter pups.

This aquarium is a huge attraction at Fort Fisher along with the Civil War site and public beach.

Right now, there is a push on to provide money for the improvements of both the aquarium and historic site in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Even though these two are no longer in Representative Ted Davis' district, the Wilmington Republican has not forgotten about the Fort Fisher area.  He has submitted a bill for the state to give the aquarium $10.5 million or its  renovation project.  This proposal comes after Davis had previously helped secure $20 million for the project.

The last time the aquarium was renovated was 2002

The legislation, House Bill 710, is currently in the House Appropriations Committee.

--Old B-Runner

Some More on the 27th USCT

From the Reconstruction Era  "27th USCT:  A Black regiment from Ohio & Miscarriage of Justice" by Patrick Young.

The 27th USCT was the second black infantry regiment formed in Ohio.  Earlier Ohio Blacks had joined the  54th Massachusetts earlier in the war.  The first regiment of black troops in Ohio was the 5th Ohio USCT.

Patrick Young took much of his article from the book "For Their Own Cause:: The United States Colored Troops" by Kelly Mezurek.  Looks like an interesting read, especially concerning their actions at Fort Fisher, the Wilmington and North Carolina Campaigns, which also included their advance and occupation of the town where I was born, Goldsboro, North Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

27th USCT-- Part 3: Fort Fisher and Operations in North Carolina

The 27th USCT then participated in the Fort Fisher Campaign from December 1864 to January 1865.

Then in subsequent actions between Fort Fisher and Wilmington January to February 1865:

Sugar Loaf Hill

Federal Point

Capture of Wilmington

Northeast Ferry

*****************************

CAROLINAS CAMPAIGN  (March to April 1865)

Kinston

Goldsboro

Cox's Bridge

Raleigh

Present at Johnston's surrender at Bennett's House, North carolina on April 26, 1865.

Remained on duty in Department of North Carolina until mustered out on September 21, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

New Fort Fisher Museum Underway-- Part 3: Importance To the Confederacy

During the Civil War, Fort Fisher protected the entrance to the Cape Fear River which led to Wilmington, North Carolina, a major port for blockade runners supplying the Confederacy with much-needed supplies.

About a mile near the end of the penionsula originally called Federal Point, but name changed to Confederate Point for the war, became heavily fortified with Fort Fisher which ran roughly a mile along the Atlantic coast on the east side, then stretched for abou a half mile across the peninsula on the north side.

There were no fortifications on the west side along the Cape Fear River and a four gun fortification at the south end by New Inlet called Battery Buchanan.

There were dozens of man-made mounds as tall as 35 feet and topped with powerful artillery to keep Union blockaders at a distance.  These defenses kept the port of Wilmington open until January 1865 when a successful Union attack by sea and land captured the fort and closed Wilmington.  The Confederacy was all but over within three months after that.

Old B-Runner

Private William Morgan at Fort Fisher with 27th USCT-- Part 2

Born in 1844, he was likely one of the hundreds of John Randolph slaves in Virginia who were freed after his death and provided means to settle in Ohio.  They made their way and settled  in the Miami Valley in 1846.  In the 1900 census, Morgan said his mother was born in Virginia which supports the idea that he was one of them.

William Morgan enlisted as a private in Company G, 27th USCT at Camp Delaware, Ohio, in April 5, 1864.

His regiment had a proud history of service.   Assigned to the Army of the Potomac, the 27th guarded supply trains during the Overland Campaign and took part in the Siege of Petersburg.  The 27th charged into Confederate lines at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864,.

They were also part of  amphibious operations against Fort Fisher, North Carolina.  It was then involved in the events that followed (Sugar Loaf Hill, Federal Point, Fort Anderson, capture of Wilmington and Northeast Ferry.

After that it participated in the  Carolinas Campaign at Kinston,, Goldsboro, Cox's  Bridge, the capture of Raleigh and surrender of Johnston's Army at Bennett's House.

Hey!   Fort Fisher!!  --Old Secesh

The 158th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Anderson to Be Observed-- Part 2

A pre-Revolutionary War town on the Cape Fear River, Brunswick was once attacked by the Spanish and later partially burned during the war.  It never fully recovered, especially with the rise of Wilmington further up the river.  It was eventually abandoned.

During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed on top of some of the ruins of the town and served as part of the defenses below Wilmington before the fall of the Confederacy.

Colonial foundations dot the present-day tour trail, which crosses the earthworks of the Confederate fort.  Today, visitors can see the archaeological ruins of foundations of old Colonial kitchens, home sites and various outbuildings that once stood at the old port town, along with the shell of St. Philips Anglican Church.

Both the old town and the fort are run by the North Carolina Divivion of State Historic Sites.

--Old B-Runner

The 158th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Anderson to be Observed

Taking a break from RoadTrippin' Thru History with the USS Montgomery.

From the February 7, 2023, WECT (Wilmington, N.C.) TV station.

The 158th anniversary of the fall of Fort Anderson will be commemorated February 18, 2023, at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.

The free activities showing what life was like for soldiers and civilians during the Civil War are scheduled for 10 am to 3 pm.  Visitors will be able to see  infantry demonstrations, medical and embalming practices and presentations throughout the day.

From 6 to 7:30 pm, visitors can witness a reenactment of the final hours at Fort Anderson during the "Screaming Shells and Plunging Shot" program.

Admission for this evening event is $10 for ages 16 and up if purchased online.  It is $15 at the gate.  Under 16 will be admitted for free.

Fort Anderson was part of the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina, on the Cape Fear River.

--Old B-Runner

158th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Fisher This Weekend-- Part 1

From the January 8, 2023, Port City News (Wilmington, North Carolina) "158th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher reenacts Civil War times."

History comes alive this coming weekend with the 158th anniversary of the fall of Fort Fisher.

It is free and open to the public and the theme is "With Artillery, War Is Made" and will be held January 14 from 10 am to 4 pm.  The living history program will focus on the artillery used at Fort Fisher during the Civil War.

There will,be demonstrations of the 32-pounder banded and  rifled seacoast gun, 12-pound Parrott  gun at  10 am, noon, 1:30 and 3 pm.

--Old B-Runner

Now that West Point is divesting itself of any and all things Confederate, I'm thinking that the 150-pdr. Armstrong gun at Trophy Point that was captured at Fort Fisher which was a CONFEDERATE FORT by the way, should be "divested" back to our fort.

Outreach Program Planned for Fort Fisher-- Part 2: A Walk and a Presentation

Fort Fisher Interpreter and Education and Outreach Coordinator  Kaitlin O'Connor will lead tours of the fort Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and  3 p.m..  She will talk about Blacks and Indians who built the fort as well as the contributions of Blacks at the battle itself.

The tour lasts for about half an hour and covers less than half a mile of paved trail.  Tickets are $5 at the door.

In the exhibit hall there will be a tabletop display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with staff to talk about some of the aforementioned topics.

On January 8, she will present "Tis Grand to Know:  People of the Wilmington Campaign" at the  Main Branch of the New Hanover County Library at 3 p.m..  The free presentation will offer a fresh overview of the Wilmington Campaign through an examination of the diverse people caught up in it.

--Old B-Runner

Outreach Series Planned at Fort Fisher-- Part 1

From the December 29, 2022, WECT (Wilmington, N.C.) "Education and outreach series to include guided tours of Fort Fisher, presentation at New Hanover Co. library."

The series is called "Dwell with Gratitude and Pride:  New Perspectives on the Wilmington Campaign."  This will include a tour of Fort Fisher on Saturday, January 7.

The series will feature weekly educational events at various lcations throughout the county and will explore the diverse experiences of people swept into the Union's campaign to capture Wilmington after the fall of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.  Wilmington fell on February 22, 1865.

Black, white,  Asian, Indigenous  and Hispanic people were involved.  Participants can learn about those experiences through guided tours, speakers and costumed interpretation programs according to the North Carolina Department of Natiral and Cultural Resources.

--Old B-Runner

The Last Christmas at Fort Fisher (1864)--Part 1: Cheerless

From the December 2022 Federal Point Historic Preservation Society Newsletter.

From a 1973 Wilmington-Starc News article by Bill Reaves.

It was certainly a cheerless Christmas Eve, 133 years ago (now 158 years ago in 2022) inside the high earthen walls of Fort Fisher.  The weather was frightful and the Confederacy was on its knees.

Each Confederate soldier attempted to get some kind of dinner in honor of the holiday, and some were fortunate enough to receive some meager food boxes from Wilmington and surrounding areas.

Some were very unfortunate indeed whose homes were great distances away and they had nothing whatever delectable which would impart some memory of Christmas in the past.

Great genius was necessary to create a holiday dinner out of a pound of fat pork, six crackers and a quart of dried apples.  It was not impossible to see a bit of culinary art burst forth with apple dumplings, with which some sorghum molasses were not to be despised.

--Old B-Runner

CAM's 60th Anniversary & First USCT Park-- Part 2: Naming the Battle

Said Chris Fonvielle after his research and excavating of the grounds of the Cameron Art Museum (CAM) in Wilmington, N.C., "It convinced me that a firefight had taken place there, but I found no documentary evidence to support the archaeological record."

He began focusing his studies on the battle, piecing together information and eventually giving it a new name.

"Scarce Confederate correspondence from the battleground was postmarked Cross-Roads and Forks Road, as an intersection of the Federal Point Road.  A byroad  that ran towards the Cape Fear River stood about where you enter the Cameron Art Museum's parking lot today," he explained.  "I thought the Battle of Forks Road had a nicer ring to it."

Fonvielle wrote about his discoveries in 2007's "Last Stand at Wilmington:  The Battle of Forks Road."

His research has caused CAM staff for years to embrace the story.  They have hosted living history days with reenactors, but this next step, starting a park devotedb to the United States Colored Troops (USCT) takes the story even further.

--Old B-Runner

CAM Celebrates 60th Anniversary and Opens Nation's First USCT Park to Honor Black Soldiers

From the November 12, 2022, Port City Daily, Wilmington, N.C., by She Carver.

Lights dot the area between tall pine trees near the 2,500 pound sculpture "Boundless" created by Durham artist Stephen Hayes which was installed on Federal Point Road last year.  The sculpture memorializes 11 men and a drummer boy on a place where 1,800 black USCT soldiers fought for their freedom more than 150 years ago during the closing days of the Civil War.

This historic site will be  christened as the nation's first USCT (United States Colored Troops) this weekend.  CAM (Cameron Art Museum)  is hosting a community day Sunday, welcoming locals to explore the park and all museum exhibits are free.

Roughly 250 feet from the museum's front door, the park is situated where the Battle of Forks  Road took place, which sealed the fate of Wilmington, North Carolina in the month after Fort Fisher fell.

Since 1980, local historian Chris Fonvielle has studied the grounds where CAM is located -- excavating  rathworks, bullets, cannonball fragments, military uniform  buttons and other relics.

--Old B-Runner

USS Fernandina-- Part 2: Action with NABS and SABS

Upon commissioning, the ship was orederd to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads, Virginia, which she did on 2 December 1861 and then south to Wilmington, North Carolina,  to blockade that port.

On 13 December 1861, she  scattered an encampment of Confederates at Little River Inlet, South Carolina.  Twelve days later, she captured the prize William N. Northrup, running the blockade with a cargo of  drugs and coffee.

Next, the Fernandina discovered the  schooner Kate out of Nassau, Bahama, aground on 2 April 1862.  After taking her papers, the Kate was burned as they were under fire of Confederates ashore

The Fernandina was transferred  to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on 11 June and joined it off Charleston, South Carolina,   Aside from the summer of 1863, when she sailed north for repairs, she was  at St. Simons, Georgia and at St. Catherine's, Georgia, and in the Ossabow Sound.

She captured the sloop Annie Thompson 16 January 1864 after it had run aground.

Detached from the squadron 3 April 1865 and sent north, she was decommissioned  at Philadelphia 29 April 1865 and sold 2 June 1865.

--Old B-Runner

Blockade Runners at Little River Inlet-- Part 1: Was It or Was It Not Will?

From the August 3, 2022, My Horry News (South Carolina) "Blockade runners sought  refuge in Little River Inlet" by Steve Robertson.

The Little River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

With Wilmington to the north and Charleston to the south coming under increasing Union blockade throughout the war, blockade runners increasingly turned to remote and isolated points like Horry County, South Carolina, to deliver their cargoes.

To protect them, Confederates set up small forts in Little River and Murrell's Inlet.  The remnants of one of them, Fort Randall, can be seen by alert boaters traversing the Intercoastal Waterway near Little River.

The Vol.  36, No. 4 edition on the Independent Republic Quarterly, reveal that a surprise attack on this fort ended with a Confederate rout by a small party of Union sailors.  (And, when I see a sneak attack in the area around Wilmington, North carolina, the name William Cushing immediately comes to mind.)

The fort was named for  Captain Thomas Randall, a large landowner who lived on the eastern end of  Little River Neck.

Was This a William Barker Cushing Production?  --Old B-Runner

Blockade Runner Dan

Kind of interesting that I was just writing about a blockade runner named Don and now we have one named Dan.  Brothers?

From American Civil War High Command  North Carolina.

January 7, 1864, Thursday.

NORTH CAROLINA

The steamer Dan failed to run the blockade into Wilmington and was beached to avoid capture.

The crew was captured other than three men who drowned.

I am unable to find out any more about this ship.

--Old B-Runner

The Capture of the Blockade Runner Don-- Part 1: Quite an Initial Escape

From "British Blockade Running in the American Civil War."

This is the story of the capture of the Don.

Late on the afternoon of her third day out of Nassau, she was waiting off the coast of Wilmington.  The day was hazy.  Painted gray, the Don was all but invisible beyond a couple hundred yards.  Then the sun burnt throught the haze, and almost at once the lookout spotted a Federal cruiser, under steam and sail,  bearing down n them.

Cory quickly summed up the situation.  There was insufficient time for the Don to get up enough steam to escape.  He ordered up steam, then turned his vessel into the wind.  She sat there waiting, making no attempt to flee.

The Union vessel  was a large, full-rigged corvette, and was running along before a strong breeze.  In order for her to be brought under control,  the sail would have to be furled.  Cory watched as, up the rigging, the sail was gathered in.  She was barely fifty yards away when Cory ordered full speed ahead.

Off the Don shot, past the Union vessel which was unable to bring her guns to bear.  The Federal ship continued on for a quarter mile before she could make her turn.

In the meantime, the Don  was speedily putting distance between herself and the enemy ship.  Eventually turning, the other ship opened fire with her bow guns but to little effect.  The Don was up and away.  As darkness descended, she lost her pursuer.

A Close One...But.   That Sly Captain Cory.  --Old B-Runner

Who Was 'Captain Cory?'

From "British Blockade Runners in the American Civil War" by Joseph McKenna.

Evidently, the Don was originally commanded by Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden, and had run into Wilmington.  When he returned to  England, command of the Don passed to his chief officer:   Captain Cory."

Who he was is up for speculation.  There is no one on the Navy List who quite fits the time period.  Most likely he was another Royal Navy officer like Hobart-Hampden, who was enjoying the adventure and money to be made running the blockade.

Cory twice successfully ran the blockade into Wilmington.  But on his third attempt, on 4 March 1864, the Don was captured by the USS Pequot.  At the time, the Don had a cargo of Army uniforms from Peter Tait & Company of Limerick, blankets and shoes valued at $200,000.

--Old B-Runner