Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
LXI: Expedition Against Fort Fisher explained
Grant details the strategic importance of Fort Fisher, the failed first expedition under General Butler, and the successful second expedition under General Terry, culminating in the fort's capture after a fierce assault.
What happens
Grant details the strategic importance of Fort Fisher, the failed first expedition under General Butler, and the successful second expedition under General Terry, culminating in the fort's capture after a fierce assault.
Themes in this chapter
The Horrors and Cost of War
The assault on Fort Fisher involved heavy casualties, including 110 Union killed and 536 wounded, with desperate hand-to-hand fighting through traverses.
Leadership and Humility
Grant contrasts Butler's failure with Terry's effective command, emphasizing the importance of following orders and cooperation between army and navy.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
The capture of Fort Fisher was vital to cutting off Confederate supplies and hastening the end of the war, preserving the Union.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Author and commander-in-chief, plans and oversees both expeditions against Fort Fisher.
- Benjamin F. Butler
Leads the first failed expedition; criticized for abandoning the landing and squandering favorable conditions.
- Alfred H. Terry
Selected by Grant to command the second expedition; successfully captures Fort Fisher and is promoted.
- David D. Porter
Commands the naval squadron; coordinates with Terry for the successful assault.
- Abraham Lincoln
Receives Grant's telegram about the failure of the first expedition.
- Edwin M. Stanton
Secretary of War; arrives after the fort's fall and promotes officers for gallantry.
- Godfrey Weitzel
Initially selected by Grant to lead the expedition, but instructions were given through Butler.
Key passages
“The Wilmington expedition has proven a gross and culpable failure. Many of the troops are back here. Delays and free talk of the object of the expedition enabled the enemy to move troops to Wilmington to defeat it.”
Grant reported that the Wilmington expedition was a complete and blameworthy failure, with many troops returning; delays and loose talk allowed the enemy to reinforce Wilmington.
Grant's telegram to President Lincoln after the first expedition's failure.
“I selected A. H. Terry to command. It was the 6th of January before the transports could be got ready and the troops aboard. They sailed from Fortress Monroe on that day. The object and destination of the second expedition were at the time kept a secret to all except a few in the Navy Department and in the army to whom it was necessary to impart the information.”
Grant chose Terry to lead the second expedition; secrecy was maintained about its destination until the troops were at sea.
Grant's description of the planning for the successful second expedition.
“The fight continued till long after night. Our troops gained first one traverse and then another, and by 10 o'clock at night the place was carried.”
The battle for Fort Fisher lasted into the night, with Union forces capturing one defensive position after another until the fort was taken by 10 PM.
Grant's account of the final assault on Fort Fisher.
