The Role of Fort Anderson in the Civil War

Workshop Information

On Saturday, March 19 workshop participants met at Fort Anderson to discuss the role of Fort Anderson in the Civil War. The workshop was led by Chris Fonvielle, and pedagogy sessions were led by Jennifer Facciolini.

Fort Anderson is located at: 8884 St Philips Rd SE, Winnabow, NC 28479 .

Image: "Bombardment of Fort Anderson, February 11, 1865, Sketched by T.L. Jeffers." This illustration was published in Harper's Weekly on March 4, 1865 on page 140. Click image to enlarge.

Text in Harper's Weekly associated with above image:

"While SHERMAN is making such rapid progress in South Carolina our armies are not standing idle in the old North State. General SCHOFIELD has been assigned to the command of the Department of North Carolina, and a good portion of his corps has united with TERRY'S victorious army in the operations against Wilmington.

TERRY made an advance on the 11th with AMES'S and PAYNE'S divisions, moving up the peninsula. Admiral PORTER'S fleet co-operated. The Montgomery and Quaker City covered the advance of the army. The double-enders Mackinaw and Unadilla, the gun-boat Huron and the Monitor Montauk engaged Fort Anderson on the west side. We illustrate this bombardment on page 140. Our correspondent says that the object of the action was to ascertain the strength of the work and the number of guns, and having accomplished this the vessels withdrew."

- Excerpt from Harper's Weekly, March 4, 1865, page 133. Image and text found at www.SonsOfTheSouth.net. For the image click here and for the text click here.

Image: "Plan of Fort Anderson, Cape Fear River, N.C. showing the line of attack by the gun-boats February 18th 1865 under Rear Admiral D. D. Porter, when the rebels evacuated under a heavy fire. Three hundred and eighty shells an hour, thirteen hours bombardment. " Published by Philada., Bowen & Co., lithograph, [1865]. Click image to enlarge.

Description of image:

"From Message of the President of the United States, and accompanying documents, to the two houses of Congress, at the commencement of the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress.-Report of the Secretary of the Navy (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1865). fol. p. 184."

Printed in the upper left margin: 39th Cong. 1st Sess.-Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy.

- Description and image from the Library of Congress