Fort Fisher 150th

[Dave the plumber]

           Is anybody coming to Wilmington for the anniversary of the Fort Fisher battle this weekend ??  The weather will be good in the 60's. Thaw out come on down !!   I hear it will be quite the shindig, four days of continual presentations and talks, guided tours by Chris Fonvielle and NPS Ed Bearess, displays galore, cannon firing and of course - re-enactors
       It will be the biggest gathering here since the battle itself !!

[CarlS]

Sounds like a lot of fun!  Is Anderson doing anything too?

[Dave the plumber]

That will be next month. I am not sure what all they have lined up.  Maybe it is finally time for your visit to Wilmington....

[CarlS]

Have to see what I can do!  Here is a nice overview of the festivities:
     http://portcitydaily.com/2015/01/04/fort-fisher-fort-anderson-to-mark-150-years-with-anniversary-events/
Ed Bearss is a hoot to hear talk.  Highly recommended.

[Garret]

Wish I could be there, I've always been fascinated by that battle!  Pipedreamer should be there, Fort Fisher is his primary collecting interest. 

[Dave the plumber]

        I was talking with Chris Fonvielle last night. He gave me these facts;

      58 Federal warships rained 19,642 shells for three days on the 2,200 men defending the fort.  I am told that averages one every 8 seconds. The Confederates  lost aprox 500 dead or wounded on both the bombardment and land face assault by the aprox. 5,500 ground forces that were a combo of army, marines and sailors, whom lost aprox. 1300 men themselves. 
   It was the largest American naval engagement until D -day
     And of course we all know about the Braxton Bragg fiasco, camped with 5000 men just 3 miles north of the Federal landing site who sat on his ass despite please from the commander of the fort to assault the federals who would have been attacked  from 2 sides and Bragg  could have saved the fort.  But he did nothing....

[CarlS]

And now for his service the North Carolinian Braxton Bragg has a fort named after him:
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bragg
Concerning his actions at Fort Fisher, Wikipedia reports:
The Confederates were able to successfully repulse the first Union attempt to capture Fort Fisher, which dominated the seaborne supply line to Wilmington.  However, when the Union returned in January, Bragg's performance in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher was poor. He assumed that the first failed siege meant that the fort was invulnerable, when in fact bad weather played a large role. Thus, he did not come to the fort's assistance in a timely fashion after it was attacked the second time. The Confederates were forced to evacuate Wilmington, their last remaining seaport on the Atlantic coast.

If I knew that I did not remember it.  Thanks for the info.  That war, like so many I guess, had so many blunders that could have really turned the fortunes of one side or the other.

[pipedreamer65]

Lol, Garrett is correct.  I'm down here right now.  Visited the Fort today at 3pm, which is the date and time of the land assault.  Those people that work at the site are running themselves into the ground to prepare for the weekend.  Got to see the famous Whitworth gun captured during the Hebe skirmish once again.  New exhibits are great.  Gonna be a big crowd Saturday and sunday. 

[emike123]

I would really like to see that.  Have a great time guys.

[justbored]

I'm coming down for it too. Leaving Raleigh here in a couple minutes. Looking forward to doing the tour with Chris in the morning.

[Dave the plumber]

short update here;

    Had a fine time.  Weather was excellent, just a bit windy. Sun was shining bright. Got there before 9am, which I hear was a smart move. I was told by one friend he waited in traffic one  solid hour to get there, and another person told me 2 hours around noon. 
     LOTS of people enjoying the day. Thousands and thousands and thousands. And, I always here that young people are not interested in this 'old stuff' anymore.  Well, I am happy to report that there were tons of kids there AND young people. There were dozens of suttlers and displays and at times it was hard to even see what they were presenting because of all the people checking them out. This event is the kind of 'seed' that can make a young person interested in learning more about the war and it's causes and getting involved in reenacting, reading, collecting or scholarly. I am very much more positive from what I saw today.  We don't see the young people at relic shows much, but they were out in full force today watching all the action, taking it all in. Plenty of rifle firing and booming cannons. Marching reenactors and swords and guns.......
    Got to see our Govenor speak at battle acre, and then Ed Bearess stole the show from him. Saw a presentation by Chris Fonvielle and they were turning away people because the large tent was full up with a couple hundred people a half hour before he started.  Ran into lots of local diggers, and saw quite a few share stories with each other whom they hadn't seen in years. Hung out with Jack Wells for part of the day, which is always a trip, as those of you whom know him will attest !!
    Overall, a great way to spend a Saturday. Everybody near by should consider coming to the Fort Anderson anniversary in a few weeks. Although it will be much smaller, they are planning a 'big time'

[CarlS]

Sounds like it was a must see event and a great time.  Glad you were able to make it.  Thanks for the report.

[Jack Wells]

Thanks David, It was great hanging with you. Brought back 70 yr. old memories. This old fart had a ball


All the best
Jack

[gflower]

Can someone tell me the date of the Anderson event? Thank you in advance foe your assistance.

[CarlS]

Gary,

In the Port City Daily news link I posted above:

Across the river in Brunswick County, Fort Anderson is planning an event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the fall of the fort. The two-day event will be held Feb. 14-15.  Events include an imagining of what could have happened if Fort Anderson had not been evacuated in the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 1865. As stated in a release, Fort Fisher had just fallen to Union forces, and Confederate troops “were forced to evacuate the last major defensive fortification on the lower Cape Fear.”  “Over the course of the next 72 hours, the port of Wilmington would fall into Union hands,” the release states.  The free program at Fort Anderson will present what the outcome could have been in a dramatic interpretation of the fall of the fort, “Last Stand on the West Bank: The 150th Anniversary of the Fall of Ft. Anderson.”  Featuring nighttime artillery fire, the event will take place Feb. 14 from 6-8 p.m. Visitors will be guided on lantern tours departing every 20 minutes featuring interactive vignettes and true tales of the fort’s fall.  More information is available by calling 371-6613. Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site is located at 8884 St. Philips Road SE in Winnabow.

So this looks to be the weekend after the Dalton Show.