Publisher's Synopsis
Like all good war stories the battle of Fort Fisher has all the elements needed to make a great tale. The fort's hopelessly outnumbered Confederate defenders made a heroic Alamo-like stand against the invincible Union juggernaut. Like the Texans before them, they also called for help but were largely ignored by General Braxton Bragg. Undeterred, the Confederate soldiers stood to their guns and fought gallantly until they were overwhelmed by superior numbers. Both sides fought well but thanks to the lack of support from Bragg, the fort, and ultimately Wilmington was lost. One of the goals of the Federal Government was to halt blockade running which was supplying the South with munitions of war, food and medicine. Every port in the South had fallen except Wilmington, North Carolina. The reason for this was that powerful Fort Fisher guarded the approaches to Wilmington. The Federals, knowing they could not close Wilmington without capturing Fort Fisher first, launched the largest invasion force until World War II. This book describes the battles of Fort Fisher in great detail. Also included are soldiers accounts of the battle which give a vivid perspective of what the dramatic fighting was like. The author has researched over 2,400 and made a roster of the Confederate soldiers involved in the battle. These include North Carolina Troops, South Carolina Volunteers and Confederate States sailors and marines. There is also a statistics section which lists the number of men in each regiment and how many were killed wounded or captured. This is helpful in determining which unit was involved in the heaviest fighting.
