Fort Fisher

Fort Fisher,Confederate earthwork fortification, built by Gen. WilliamWhitingin 1862 to guard the port of Wilmington, N.C.; scene of one of the last large battles of the Civil War. Because Wilmington was one of the few ports open to blockade-runners, a joint land-sea expedition under Gen. BenjaminButlerand Admiral DavidPorterwas sent against Fort Fisher in Dec., 1864; the Union forces, however, failed to take it. A second attempt, with Gen. AlfredTerryreplacing Butler, captured the fort on Jan. 15, 1865. The port was closed and Wilmington fell soon afterward. Fort Fisher is now a historic site.

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