Blockade Runner Owl

From the May 26, 2020  Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Photos:  Past vessels along the Cape Fear River."

Picture 46 of 82

A painting of Captain John Newland Maffitt's  Owl running the blockade into Wilmington.

John Morris, head of the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch at Fort Fisher will be speaking  June 30, 2018, from 3 pm to 4 pm at the Wrightsville Beach (NC) Museum about American Civil War vessels lost in the area.

A collection of artifacts from the blockade runner Modern Greece will be available for guest inspection and handling.

North Carolina  is home to more Civil War shipwrecks than any other state.

Also, Photo 61 of 82 shows a map of the blockade runner Condor which is now a Heritage Dive Site.  Photo 62 is an underwater photo of the Condor.  Also photo 76 shows an oblique view of the Condor.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher Painting Featured in Summer Civil War Monitor magazine

From the Summer 2019 issue of The Civil War Monitor  "Salvo:  Facts, Figures & Items of Interest."

And, the painting is featured on a two-page spread and you get to see how big of a fortification Fort Fisher was and the huge size of the Union fleet attacking it.  You see the three single turret monitors and the double turret one in close and the lines of Union ships, including the biggies like the Minnesota and Wabash.  I had to look hard and finally found the New Ironsides in the big ship line second from the right.

"In this lithograph by T.F. Laycock, a fleet of U.S. vessels under the command of Rear Admiral David D. Porter bombards Fort Fisher on the North Carolina shore in mid-January 1865.  A subsequent land attack by Union troops forced the fort's surrender, opening the way for the capture of the port city of Wilmington.  For more on Wilmington, turn the page."

Then there is a four page spread on what to see and do in Wilmington including can't miss sites, best kept secret, best family activity, best Civil War spot, best eats, best sleep and best book.

Obviously, I will be writing about this article this next week.  Liz and I were just at nearby Carolina Beach, home of Britt's Donuts, on Monday and Tuesday, July 15 and 16.

If you hurry up you can still purchase a copy at your local news stand.

Carolina Beach, My Favorite Beach.  --Old B-Runner

Out of My Price Range: $75,000 for Fort Fisher Painting

From Christie's September Sampling.

Christie's Auction House in new York sold the "Bombardment of Fort Fisher" painting by Thomas F. Laycock for 78.2% above its estimate, for a whopping $75,000.  It is an 1888 oil on canvas and they had estimated it would bring between $7,000 and $10,000.

It is signed and dated and the canvas measures 36 1/4 inches by 72 inches.  The  Union fleet is shown bombarding the fort.

Thomas F. Laycock (1810-1898) also made a famous painting of the USS Maine.

--Old B-R'er