Yup. It's true. During the Civil War, it was the largest earthen fortification in the world - and the key to protecting Wilmington, which Robert E. Lee called "the lifeline of the Confederacy." Wilmington, the Confederacy's last major open port, was key to supplying its army. Fort Fisher finally fell to the Union on January 15, 1865 in what would be the largest amphibious operation in U.S. military history until WWII. A month later, Wilmington was occupied, and soon after Lee surrendered the Confederacy at Appomattox.
Fort Fisher will be a stop on the WiHi app's new tour: Civil War Wilmington (fall 2014). Visit the Fort Fisher Historic Site. Also check out Chris Fonvielle's excellent book Wilmington Campaign: Last Days of Departing Hope.
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