North Carolina in the American Civil War

January 15, 1865 -- Union Forces Capture Fort Fisher

CSA Commander:

Maj. Gen. William H.C. Whiting

Union Commander:

Bvt. Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry

Killed:

See 2nd Fort Fisher

Killed:

See 2nd Fort Fisher

Wounded:

Wounded:

Captured:

Captured:

Original County:

New Hanover

Current County:

New Hanover

Click Here for a full account of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, including numbers of casualties and prisoners. 


From the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part I, Section 1," and the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series I, Volume 11," many official reports from Union officers assert that Union forces took possession of Fort Fisher around 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. on January 15th. The fort had earlier been evacuated by much of the Confederate garrison, which took refuge at Battery Buchanan, hoping to be removed to safety via Confederate boats along the Cape Fear River; they were not, and these were seized as prisoners around 10:45 p.m.

Most sources agree that the Confederate garrison within Fort Fisher surrendered about 1,900 men that night. The Confederate forces at Sugar Loaf were not captured that night, and they soon made their way back to Wilmington to fight again.

Known CSA Participants

Known Union Participants

Fort Fisher Garrison — Col. William Lamb, Commandant (POW),
Adjutant (Lt). George D. Parker (POW),
Aide-de-Camp — Capt. Charles H. Blocker (POW),

Maj. Gen. William H.C. Whiting (POW),
Col. Robert Tansill (Assistant Adjutant & Inpector General),
Lt. Col. George T. Gordon (Assistant Inspector General),
Maj. James H. Hill (Chief of Staff/Assistant Adjutant General),
Maj. Strong (Aide-de-Camp),
Maj. William J. Saunders (Chief of Artillery) (wounded),
Flag Officer Robert F. Pinkney (CS Navy),

10th NC Regiment (1st Artillery) Detachment — Maj. James Reilly (POW),
Company F — "Walsh's Battery" — Capt. Edward D. Walsh (POW),
2nd Company I — Assigned to BG. William W. Kirkland (see below),
Company K — "Washington Greys" — Capt. William Shaw, Jr. (POW),

36th NC Regiment (2nd Artillery) Detachment — Col. William Lamb (POW),
Adjutant George D. Parker (POW),
2nd Company A— King's Artillery"—Capt. Robert J. Murphy (POW),
3rd Company B — "Bladen Stars" — Capt. Daniel Munn (POW),
2nd Company C — "Blocker's Artillery" — Capt. Kinchen J. Braddy (POW),
2nd Company D — "Anderson's Artillery" — Capt. Edward B. Dudley (POW),
2nd Company E — "Columbus Artillery — Capt. Oliver H. Powell (POW),
2nd Company F — "Pamlico Artillery" — Capt. Samuel B. Hunter,
Company H — "Clarendon Artillery" — Capt. Daniel Patterson (POW),
2nd Company I — "Bladen Artillery" — Capt. John T. Melvin,
Company K — "Brunswick Artillery" — Capt. William F. Brooks,

40th NC Regiment (3rd Artillery) Detachment:
Company D — "Bay River Artillery" — Capt. James S. Lane (wounded),
Company E — "Scotch Greys" — Capt. Malcom H. McBryde (POW),
3rd Company G — "Herring Artillery" — Capt. George C. Buchanan (wounded/POW),
2nd Company K — "Bladen Artillery Guards" — Capt. Daniel J. Clark (POW),

1st NC Battalion-Heavy Artillery Detachment:
Company D — Capt. James L. McCormick (killed)

3rd NC Battalion-Light Artillery Detachment:
Company C — "North Carolina Artillery" — Capt. John M. Sutton (POW),

13th NC Battalion-Light Artillery Detachment:
Company D — "Adams' Battery" — Capt. Zachariah T. Adams (POW),

Staunton Hill Artillery (VA) — Capt. Andrew B. Paris

CSA Navy Detachment — Led by Lt. Robert T. Chapman,
Commanding Battery Buchanan,

CSA Marine Corps Detachment — Led by Capt. A.C. Van Benthuysen,
1 Company of Marines inside the Garrison,

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Bvt. Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry — Commanding Officer,
Lt. Col. Cyrus B. Comstock — Engineering Advisor,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) Adrian Terry,
Col. George S. Dodge — Chief Quartermaster,

2nd Division (XXIV Corps) — Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames with 3,300 men,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) Charles A. Carleton,
Acting Aide-de-Camp (Capt.) A.G. Lawrence (wounded twice),
Aide-de-Camp (Capt.) H.C. Lockwood,
Acting Assistant Inspector General (Capt.) R.W. Dawson (wounded),
Provost Marshal (Capt.) J.S. Mathews,
Mustering Officer (Capt.) B.B. Keeler,

1st Brigade — Bvt. Brig. Gen. Newton Martin Curtis (wounded),
Col. Rufus Daggett,
3rd NY Infantry — Capt. James H. Reeves (wounded),
112th NY Infantry — Col. John F. Smith (wounded),
117th NY Infantry — Lt. Col. Francis X. Meyer (wounded),
142nd NY Infantry — Lt. Col. Albert M. Barney,

2nd Brigade — Col. Galusha Pennypacker (wounded),
Maj. Oliver P. Harding,
47th NY Infantry — Capt. Joseph M. McDonald,
48th NY Infantry — Lt. Col. William B. Coan (wounded),
76th PA Infantry — Col. John S. Littell (wounded),
97th PA Infantry — Lt. John Wainwright (wounded),
203rd PA Infantry — Col. John W. Moore (killed),

3rd Brigade — Col. Louis Bell (mortally wounded),
13th IN Infantry — Lt. Col. Samuel M. Zent,
4th NH Infantry — Capt. John H. Roberts,
115th NY Infantry — Lt. Col. Nathan J. Johnson (wounded),
169th NY Infantry — Col. Alonzo Alden,

3rd Division (XXV Corps) — Brig. Gen. Charles J. Paine with 3,300 men,

2nd Brigade — Col. John W. Ames,
4th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. George Rogers,
6th U.S. Colored Infantry — Maj. Augustus S. Boernstein,
30th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Hiram A. Oakman,
39th U.S. Colored Infantry — Col. Ozora P. Stearns,

3rd Brigade — Col. Elias Wright,
1st U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Giles H. Rich,
5th U.S. Colored Infantry — Maj. William R. Brazie,
10th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Edward H. Powell,
27th U.S. Colored Infantry — Bvt. Brig. Gen. Albert M. Blackman,
37th U.S. Colored Infantry — Col. Nathan Goff, Jr.,

1st Division (XXIV Corps), 2nd Brigade — Col. Joseph C. Abbott,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) E. Lewis Moore,
6th CT Infantry — Col. Alfred P. Rockwell,
7th CT Infantry — Capt. John Thompson (wounded),
3rd NH Infantry — Capt. William H. Trickey,
7th NH Infantry — Lt. Col. Augustus W. Rollins,
16th NY Heavy Artillery Detachment — Maj. Frederick W. Prince,

Artillery: — Bvt. Brig. Gen. Henry L. Abbott,

1st CT Heavy Artillery Detachment — Capt. William G. Pride,
Company B —
Company G —
Company L —

16th Independent Battery, NY Light Artillery — Capt. Richard H. Lee,

Battery E, 3rd U.S. Artillery — Lt. John Myrick,

Engineers:

15th NY Engineers Detachment — Lt. Keefe Samuel O'Keefe, 

Naval Landing Party — Fleet Capt. (Lt. Cdr.) Kidder R. Breese, with 1,600 Sailors and 400 Marines,
1st Division — Lt. Cdr. Charles H. Cushman,
2nd Division — Lt. Cdr. James Parker, Jr.,
3rd Division — Lt. Cdr. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.,
4th Division — Capt. Lucien L. Dawson (Marines).

Sources:

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part I, Section 1, PP.393-447.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series I, Volume 11, PP.394-599.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Fort_Fisher


 


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