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News Release
Contact: Gloria
Contact: Mary Cook 919-733-7862
Barbara Hoppe 910-458-5538
Release: May 20, 2002
FACT SHEET
MAJOR MILITARY LEADERS INVOLVED IN THE CIVIL WAR BATTLES FOR
FORT FISHER
UNION
 Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, Department of Virginia and North Carolina—Brilliant but arrogant,
Butler had a shaky reputation. His peers resented how he used his Washington political connections.
His career had been marked by controversy, including charges he was unethical. Though a failure at
field command, the flamboyant and eccentric Butler was a visionary enthralled by new technology.
Despite Gen. Ulysses S. Grant having appointed Maj. Gen. Godfrey Weitzel to lead the first attack
against Fort Fisher, Butler (Weitzel’s superior officer) assumed field command of the forces.
However, Butler miscalculated and botched the attack, leaving Fort Fisher in Confederate hands. He
was soon removed from his post.
 Rear Adm. David Dixon Porter, Commander, North Atlantic Blockading Squadron—After Adm.
David Farragut, Adm. Porter was probably America’s best-known naval officer. Tough, smart, but
also a self-promoter, Porter was a man people either admired or despised. During the Civil War, he
quickly emerged as one of the Navy’s brightest and most successful officers, particularly after
helping take Vicksburg. Highly ambitious, Porter was eager for the Union Navy to play a lead role in
the attack on Fort Fisher. After bombarding the fort by sea, Porter was critical of Gen. Butler and the
army's ground forces when they failed to capture the Southern bastion in December 1864.
 Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry, Commander, Provisional Corps—Though Gen. Grant’s choice to
command the second attack on Fort Fisher was not well known in the army’s high command, Terry
was highly regarded by both officers and subordinates. A lawyer and a Yale graduate, Terry was a
seasoned commander by this point in the war. Both serious-minded and dependable, the general
undoubtedly drew on these qualities in making careful preparations to attack Fort Fisher. During the
fighting, Terry feared that a Confederate attack from the rear would prevent his forces from taking
the fort. However, despite fierce opposition from entrenched Confederate forces, the general secured
the fort for the Union and sealed the fate of Wilmington.
Bvt. Brig. Gen. N. Martin Curtis, Commander, First Brigade, Second Division, 24th Army Corps—An
intelligent, fearless officer, Gen. Curtis took it as his personal mission to drive the Confederates from
Fort Fisher. During the first assault, he and his men were ordered to establish a beachhead on
Confederate Point, which they did. During the second attack, as the rebels teetered on the edge of
defeat, he became enraged when his superior officer wanted to entrench rather than continue the
(over)
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(2)
assault. Ignoring orders, Curtis and his men fought on despite heavy fire. Only severe wounds
finally stopped him. After the war, Curtis was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and went
on to become close friends with his former Confederate opponent, Col. William Lamb.
CONFEDERATE
 Col. William Lamb, Commander, Fort Fisher—Revered by his troops and respected by his superiors,
Col. William Lamb was named the fort’s commander at the age of only 26. He and his family—who
lived near the fort with Lamb—often received gifts from the Southern blockade runners who
appreciated Lamb’s efforts to keep the port open. In the first Union attack, Lamb ordered his poorly
provisioned troops to conserve ammunition whenever possible and rejoiced when the enemy failed to
destroy his fort. However, in the second attack, he soon saw his troop strength wither in the face of
the heavy bombardment and hand-to-hand fighting. Badly wounded in the hip, Lamb was out of the
battle and had to watch as Union forces overran his fort. In later years, he enjoyed a close
relationship with “my friend, the enemy,” as he jokingly called retired Union Gen. Curtis.
 Gen. Braxton Bragg, Commander, District of the Cape Fear—Cold and aloof, Gen. Bragg had a
reputation as an incompetent field commander that preceded him to Wilmington. A West Point grad,
he was a trusted friend of President Jefferson Davis. Bragg was successful in the early days of the
war but soon his tendency towards indecisiveness and not admitting error caused his defeat in such
battles as Missionary Ridge. When he was named Gen.Whiting’s superior officer in Wilmington,
many feared the worst. Their fears were realized when, despite repeated pleas from Whiting, Bragg
refused to engage the Union during the final battle to hold Fort Fisher. Gen. Whiting later (while a
prisoner in New York) brought charges against Bragg for his lack of action at Fort Fisher.
 Maj. Gen. W. H. C. Whiting, District of the Cape Fear—An exceptional student, Whiting graduated
first in his West Point class. Upon joining the Southern forces, he rose rapidly in the ranks where he
became known as a soldier’s soldier. However, he soon ran afoul of President Jefferson Davis,
stalling his career. Considered by many to be the Confederacy’s best engineer, Gen. Whiting
transformed Wilmington’s weak defense system into a model of military protection. When the Union
fleet departed after the failed first attempt to capture the fort, Gen. Whiting was both relieved and
concerned. During the second battle, Whiting clashed with his superior officer, Gen. Braxton Bragg,
who sought to relieve him of his command. Nevertheless Whiting joined the garrison as a volunteer
and was wounded in the defense of the fort. Whiting formally surrendered Fort Fisher to the Union
troops and died shortly afterwards.
For further information on the new exhibits at Fort Fisher, contact Mary Cook at 919/733-7862,
[email protected] or check out the site’s web page at
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/fisher/fisher.htm, which includes downloadable photos of some of
the artifacts that will be on display along with battle maps.
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