Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War . It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington , North Carolina , from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865 . The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River ' s two outlet s to the Atlantic Ocean on what was then known as Federal Point and today is known as Pleasure Island . Because of the roughness of the seas there , it was known as the " Southern Gibraltar " . Significance . Wilmington . The city of Wilmington is located 29 miles ( 50 km ) upstream from the mouth of the Cape Fear River , which flows into the Atlantic Ocean . During the war , Wilmington was one of the most important points of entry for supplies for the Confederacy . Its port traded cotton and tobacco in exchange for foreign goods , like munitions , clothing and foodstuffs . This nourished both the southern states in general and General Robert E . Lee ' s forces in Virginia . Trade was based on the coming and going of steamer ships of British smugglers . These vessels were called " blockade runners " because they had to avoid the Union ' s imposed maritime barricade . Mostly , the blockade runners came indirectly from British colonies , such as Bermuda , Bahamas or Nova Scotia . Often , they were forced to fly the Confederate insignia since the Union had imposed the death penalty on British " pirates " captured in the region . After the fall of Norfolk , Virginia in May 1862 , the importance of Wilmington was further increased . It became the main Confederate port on the Atlantic Ocean . Considering the Atlantic seashore , Wilmington ' s defenses were so sturdy that they were only surpassed by Charleston ' s , in South Carolina . Wilmington resisted for a long time , mainly because of Fort Fisher ' s presence . Cape Fear River . South of Wilmington , along the Cape Fear River ' s last 20 miles ( 30 km ) , a handful of Confederate forts and batteries protected the daily flow of ships . Also , the channel had been purposely jammed with loads of wreckage and aquatic mines , which were called " torpedoes . " The Confederate officers conducted each ship cautiously through this barrier . Particularly at Cape Fear ' s outlet to the Atlantic , the area was enclosed by a half dozen Confederate positions . The river flowed to the sea through two relatively shallow inlets , which were partitioned by Smith Island . The existence of two inlets resulted in a crucial advantage : guided by the Confederates , the blockade runners were capable of avoiding the Union ships . They simply had to change course unexpectedly , alternatively between the two inlets . Near the beginning of the war , the Confederacy occupied the Federal Point peninsula , which was located at an advantaged location upon Cape Fear ' s " New Inlet " . History . Early structures . The first artillery batteries were placed in the spring of 1861 , one mile ( 1 , 600 m ) from the New Inlet . Maj . Charles Pattison Bolles supervised the works . The regional command was conformed by Gen . Theophilus H . Holmes and Maj . William H . C . Whiting ( Bolles ' brother - in - law ) , as chief inspector of North Carolina ' s defenses . Later , when Bolles was transferred to Oak Island , Capt . William Lord DeRosset took his place . DeRosset brought Wilmington ' s Light Infantry to the primitive artillery position , and he named the place " Bolles Battery . " Bolles Battery had a succession of interim commanders . Additionally , a training site , Camp Wyatt , was built north of the battery . In the summer of 1861 , the commander was Colonel Seawell L . Fremont . He was from the 1st NC Volunteer Artillery and Engineers . He added the following batteries along the isthmus : Around September , the placement was definitively christened " Fort Fisher " , after Col . Charles F . Fisher who was from the 6th NC Infantry and fell at the First Battle of Manassas . Along the peninsula , the civilian population was scarce and consisted of some small family farms . The region was surrounded by pine woods . Typically , Confederate pilots would climb the tall pine trees with large ladders , spot the nearest blockade runner and then depart , meeting the incoming ship to guide it past the several passive defenses to Wilmington . Fort Fisher was further overhauled with more powerful artillery which had been provided from Charleston . So armed , the fortress could force the Union blockade to remain well offshore , which also ensured that the Union ships could not shell the shoreline . Fortifications . In July 1862 , Col . William Lamb assumed command of the fort . Soon after arriving , he expressed some displeasure at Fort Fisher ' s ongoing crude state . The fall of Norfolk increased the fort ' s prominence , since Wilmington ' s trading activity had to be secured . A line of soil - mounds was built which formed the " Land Face " , which extended along Shepherd Battery to the sea . The " Sea Face " was constructed later as a continuation of the previous mount line . It was extended down to a location which would constitute Mound Battery . At the intersection of both faces , the " Northeast Bastion " was erected , which was 30 feet ( 9 m ) high . Mound Battery was the most important structure of Fort Fisher , and it was built during spring of 1863 . It demanded a workforce of many hundreds and the use of a small locomotive which discharged the soil over the pile . A lighting beacon was installed at its pinnacle and was used to signal the blockade runners . Being built mostly of soil , Fort Fisher ' s structure was particularly efficient at absorbing salvos of heavy ordnance . This aspect of its design emulated the Tower of Malakoff which had been constructed at Sevastopol , Russia , during the Crimean War . Over time , more than a thousand individuals including Confederate soldiers and slaves , had toiled at the location . The efforts had drawn more than 500 black slaves from nearby plantations . Some Native Americans , mostly Lumbee Indians , also had been impressed to assist with work on the fortifications . After the improvements , Fort Fisher became the largest Confederate fort . In November 1863 , President Jefferson Davis visited the facilities . In 1864 , the complete regiment of the 36th North Carolina quartered inside Fort Fisher . In October 1864 , Buchanan Battery was built . Protecting Cape Fear ' s inlet . As a rule , the Union ' s warships could not sidestep Fort Fisher ' s massive presence , and they were forced to remain far from shoreline because of the coastal artillery . Land defense . The land defense extended 1 , 800 feet ( 540 m ) , over fifteen mounds . It held twenty - five guns which were 32 feet ( 10 m ) above sea level . The mounds shared an underground network which could not be penetrated by artillery . Downward , the refuge was also used as arsenal . Prior to the walls , a 9 - foot ( 2 . 7 m ) tall stake fence was used . Sea defense . The sea defense extended one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) . It consisted of 22 guns at 12 feet ( 3 . 6 m ) above sea level , with 2 large batteries at the extremes . Two ancillary pieces were built at two smaller mounds . Respectively , they housed a telegraphic office and a bomb - resistant hospital . Buchanan Battery . The Buchanan Battery was a small fortification which was located at the furthest tip of the peninsula , right over Cape Fear ' s New Inlet . Weapons . Along the sea defense there were numerous columbiad 8 inch cannon , a few 10 inch columbiads and a mixture of rifled 32 - pounders and Brooke Rifles . An 8 inch Blakeley Rifle was mounted in the Northeast Bastion and an innovative 150 - pound Armstrong Gun was placed along the sea face . Barbette s were installed around each of the cannon , and the cannon extended along both faces of Shepherd Battery and Mound Battery . The land defenses included 4 . 5 inch Parrott Rifles at the Shepherd Battery and two 24 - pound Coehorn Mortars and one 10 inch seacoast mortar along the land face . 12 - pound Napoleon - M1857 and a 3 inch Parrott Rifle were stationed near the entrance . The middle sally port along the fort ' s land face was protected by two 12 - pounders . Expedition to Fort Fisher . The Union planned to seize Wilmington after Mobile , Alabama fell in August 1864 . By September 1864 , a variety of sources — such as the Confederate intelligence and some Union newspapers — conjectured an imminent Union attack on either Charleston or Wilmington . 2 , 400 men were at Fort Fisher . Unfortunately , they were insufficiently trained for defending against a land attack . Because of demands from other battlefronts — particularly Richmond — the defenders were being slowly replaced by local forces from North Carolina . For example , the Cape Fear River was further filled with " torpedoes " , and a breastwork was built at the northern end of the fortification in order to contain any landing forces . Because of his alcoholism and other personal problems , Whiting was removed from command by Lee , and General Braxton Bragg was assigned as commander for the region . In November 1864 , Bragg was ordered to join the battle against William T . Sherman in Georgia . For this , Bragg detached 2 , 000 troops from the already feeble Wilmington defensive lines . When Ulysses S . Grant was informed about this specific maneuver , he began formulating the definitive plan of invasion . First battle . On December 15 , 1864 , Jefferson Davis supposed that Wilmington had not yet been attacked because it would have demanded " " the withdrawal of too large a [ Union ] force from operations against points which they deem more important to us . " " Otherwise , " " fleets and armies " " would have already been " " at the mouth of the Cape Fear . " " In December 1864 , Union Major General Benjamin Butler , together with the Expeditionary Corps of the Army of the James , was detached from the Virginia theater for an amphibious mission to capture Fort Fisher . He was joined by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter who commanded Union naval forces already in the region . After being informed about the large Union army heading toward Wilmington , General Lee ordered Major General Robert Hoke ' s Division to Fort Fisher . Also , Hoke took command of all Confederate forces in the Wilmington area . The Union attack started on December 24 , 1864 with a naval bombardment . The firepower of Fort Fisher was temporarily silenced because some of its gun positions exploded . This allowed the Navy to land Union infantry . The landing force was intercepted by the arrival of Hoke ' s troops . The Union attack was effectively thwarted , and on December 27 Benjamin Butler ordered the withdrawal of his 1 , 000 soldiers who were still on the beach . This was in disobeyance of Grant ' s orders , which were to besiege the fort if the assault failed . Because Butler disobeyed his orders , he was relieved of command by Grant . Second battle . After Butler ' s removal , he was replaced by Major General Alfred Terry , and the operation was dubbed " Terry ' s expedition . " Admiral Porter was again in charge of the naval attack . They waited until January 12 , 1865 , for the second attempt . They started with a strong bombardment from 56 ships for two and a half days . This targeted both of Fort Fisher ' s fronts . On January 15 at 3 p . m . , 8 , 000 Union soldiers ( who landed on January 12 ) attacked at the Land Face . At the same time 2 , 000 Navy Sailors armed with small arms attacked the fort ' s northeast bastion ( the point where the Land Face met the Sea Face ) . As the bombardment continued , the naval attack was repulsed while the Union infantry entered the fortification through Shepherd Battery . Thus , the Confederate soldiers found themselves battling behind their walls , and were forced to retreat . Altogether , the land battle lasted six hours . At nighttime , General William Whiting , who had been wounded during the battle , surrendered as " Commander of the District of Cape Fear " . He was then imprisoned ; he died in prison March 10 , 1865 . The Confederates who had been captured and were not wounded were taken to the Federal Prison located at Elmira , New York , and assigned to Company E , 3rd Division of Prisoners . Those Confederates that were wounded were admitted to Hammond General Hospital and upon recovery were discharged and transferred to the main prison complex . Hammond General Hospital was outside the Prison Compound at Point Lookout , Maryland . Many of the guards in the Prison at Point Lookout were former slaves that had joined the Union ranks . This information is publicly available from " Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War , 1861 – 1865 ; ( National Archives Microfilm Publication M598 , 145 rolls ) ; War Department Collection of Confederate Records , Record Group 109 ; National Archives , Washington , D . C . " and is available online via Ancestry . com . The battle was the largest amphibious operation until the Second World War . Aftermath . After the fall of Fort Fisher , the trading route toward Wilmington was cut . On February 22 , the Union occupied Wilmington definitively . The war officially ended three months later . The magazine explosion . Shortly after sunrise on January 16 , 1865 , Fort Fisher ' s main magazine exploded — a tremendous blast that killed at least 200 men of both sides . The tragedy sparked a heated debate , as the Union victors were eager to blame the Confederates for dastardly behavior . But the previous night ' s giddy celebration among the Federals had spawned many a drunken reveler ; and the accident occurred despite the posting of guards at the fort ' s magazines . An official Court of Inquiry determined the following : Fort Fisher State Historic Site . The site has been declared national historic landmark and is now part of Fort Fisher State Recreation Area which features the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher , the Fort Fisher State Historic Site museum and a visitor center . Undersea archaeology is also practiced around the site . The museum features a map of the 1865 battle with three - dimensional models of Fort Fisher and Battery Buchanan . The map features a narration of the battle and fiber - optic lights to show the troop activities and locations . Other exhibits highlight aspects of the battle , life at the fort , Union and Confederate soldiers ' clothing and gear , weapons and armaments from the period , local cultural and natural history , Fort Fisher ' s history during World War II , and excavations and artifacts found at the fort . Because of natural sea attrition , few of the original sand mounds have survived . Part of the original " Front - Side " fence has been reconstructed . Visitors can take a tour around the reconstructed areas of the fort with trail marker displays . A restored 32 - pound seacoast cannon is located at the Sheperd ' s Battery , and is fired on special occasions . Scheduled guided tours are given daily , and special costumed tours are held occasionally . Fort Fisher is the subject of a diorama exhibit at the Cape Fear Museum in downtown Wilmington .