Fort Fisher: Amphibious Victory in the American Civil War

Historians and military professionals tend to agree on the importance of
large armies to the outcome of the American CivilWar. Somuch attention
has focused on the major battles and leaders of land warfare that other elements of military significance often receive less attention than deserved. Yet the ultimate victory of Union forces resulted froma total war effort, involving political, diplomatic, economic, military, and naval power. In no arena of conflict did the Union hold greater advantage than in its ability to assert naval force and conduct amphibious operations, and no operation in the entire Civil War better illustrates the Union’s ability to leverage amphibious power projection than the assault on Fort Fisher at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The actions taken to capture Fort Fisher and thereby close down the last effective Confederate port— Wilmington, North Carolina—represent a particularly rich opportunity to study the amphibious elements of that war.