The Wargame

Although it is possible to organize this action as a simple set piece battle, it easily expands into a mini campaign orchestrated by an umpire. Below I have listed additional information to flesh out the narrative above. Although much of it is relevant, some of it is there purely to give period flavor -- the incident with the Issac Wells, for instance. It will be up to the umpire to make the game flow. I would also recommend giving the U.S. player a map with only general geographical information displays, such as could be seen from offshore. Precise details would be added as the Federals advanced.

The only detail which I have not included below, is a figure for the Fort Fisher garrison. At the beginning of the second attack, there were approximately 1,500 men in the fort; by Saturday night, this had been reduced by the bombardment to 1,300. A further one hundred casualties were suffered before the Union assault. According to accounts, 750 men were available to actually man the parapets, 500 on the Northeast Bastion and 250 on the landface; the rest were presumably manning the remaining guns on the seaface and Mound Battery.

The only reinforcements to come were from Hagood's Brigade and these amounted to 350 men. As they ran the gauntlet of fire from Battery Buchanan to Fort Fisher, many of these fellows ducked into the bunkers never to come out again until the battle ended. Therefore, only a mere one hundred of these managed to strengthen the defenders. To distribute the available men into two model regiments would no doubt ensure the total collapse of the fort without much of a fight. I would therefore recommend that the player be given a total number of men available and leave it up to him to organize them.

Information Pertaining to the Federals

1. Porter's flagship Malvern.
2. Terry's transport headquarters McClellan.
3. Navy offer (demand) that "Naval Brigade" take part in the assault.
4. Sailors ashore by noon on the 15th.
5. The depth of New Inlet is not known, and any attempt at running into the harbor should be discouraged; it was also thought to be mined.
6. It takes one hour to land 1,000 troops on the beach.
7. On disembarking artillery, it took almost a full day to get the field batteries ashore. Consequently, it would take much longer to land the siege train.
8. Knowledge of the mine field is common among the Union high command.
9. Federals didn't know of Hoke's presence in the area until they captured skirmishers late on the morning of the 13th.
10. Confederate steamer Issac Wells approaches and ties up at Craig's Landing sometime on the 13th. A little later, a second vessel, the gunboat C.S.S. Chickamauga, approaches and sinks the steamer at her moorings, then proceeds back upriver to Wilmington.
11. The bridge across the swamp has planks missing but is nevertheless usable.
12. Any naval fire on the landface (once the attack starts) may hit Federal troops.

Information for the Confederates

1. 2nd North Carolina Cavalry available at Wilmington.
2. Hoke's Division in Wilmington for a parade when Federals land.
3. Sally-Port Battery stationed undercover in a tunnel and is wheeled out when required.
4. The minefield did not work due to the wires having been severed during the naval bombardment.
5. Due to a shortage of ammunition, Fort Fisher's artillery was restricted to firing once every half hour.
6. Batteries Anderson and Gatlin had been armed with one heavy gun each, as well as two very nervous garrisons. These were abandoned for the second attack.
7. Only two guns (Columbiads) on the seaface could traverse far enough to fire on the landface.
8. The Mound Battery can fire in a 360-degree arc.
9. The bridge across the swamp has planks missing, but can still be used.
10. The rearward-facing defenses were built of logs packed with earth and therefore were quite substantial.
11. After the first day's bombardment, only nine guns remained on the landface.
12. After the second day's bombardment, only three guns remained.
13. Before the infantry assault, only one heavy gun remained.
14. Telegraph wire runs underground across the fort and underwater to the opposite shore, thence connected to Wilmington.
15. Naval fire cuts the telegraph wire. Once cut, communication is by boat to Fort Lamb or Smithville. Should the Confederate commander move down the peninsula to the front, a wire will keep him in constant contact with Wilmington.
16. Although three steamers are available to take reinforcements from Wilmington to Fort Fisher, once the campaign starts, they should run aground and generally take their time getting to the fort. Only one, in fact, made it to disembark 350 men of Hagood's Brigade sent by Bragg on Sunday. The landing point is at Battery Buchanan.
17. Battery Buchanan abandoned Saturday afternoon. Fire erratic, due to drunkenness among officers.

Union Order of Battle

Major General A. H. Terry, superior, +2

24th Army Corps

2nd Division: Brigadier General A. Ames, average, +1

1st Brigade: Brigadier General M. Curtis, superior, +2

3rd N.Y., 300 men, RM, average
112th N.Y., 360 men, RM, average
117th N.Y., 340 men, RM, average
142nd N.Y., 360 men, RM, average

2nd Brigade: Colonel G. Pennypacker, average, +1

47th N.Y., 300 men, RM, average
48th N.Y., 380 men, RM, average
76th Penn., 400 men, RM, average
97th Penn., 300 men, RM, average
203rd Penn., 300 men, RM, average

3rd Brigade: Colonel L. Bell, average, +1

13th Ind., 300 men, Repeating Rifle, average
4th N.H., 400 men, RM, average
115th N.Y., 300 men, RM, average
169th N.Y., 340 men, RM, average

1st Division:

2nd Brigade: Colonel J. C. Abbot, average, +1

6th Conn., 400 men, RM, average
7th Conn., 300 men, RM, average
3rd N.H., 300 men, RM, average
7th N.H.., 340 men, RM, average
16th N.Y. Hvy. Art. (detachment), 200 men, RM, average

Naval Brigade: Lt. Commander K. R. Breese, superior, +2

1st Division, 600 men, pistol & cutlass, green
2nd Division, 500 men, pistol & cutlass, green
3rd Division, 500 men, pistol & cutlass, green
Marines, 400 men, repeating rifle, average

25th Army Corps

3rd Division: Brigadier General C. J. Paine, average, +1

2nd Brigade: Colonel J. W. Ames, average, +1

4th U.S.C.T., 340 men, RM, average
6th U.S.C.T., 340 men, RM, average
30th U.S.C.T., 300 men, RM, average
39th U.S.C.T., 400 men, RM, average

3rd Brigade: Colonel E. Wright, average, +1

1st U.S.C.T., 400 men, RM, average
5th U.S.C.T., 300 men, RM, average
10th U.S.C.T., 200 men, RM, average
27th U.S.C.T., 500 men, RM, average
39th U.S.C.T., 300 men, RM, average

Artillery:

1st Conn. Hvy. Art. (3 companies) (These guns were only intended for a siege and were not brought ashore for the assault; the available siege artillery consisted of 20 x 30 lb. Parrotts , 4 x 100 lb. Parrotts and 20 x Coehorn mortars.)
16th N.Y., 3 x 10lb. Parrotts, average
Bty. E, 3rd U.S, 3 x 3" Rifles, elite

Confederate Order of Battle

Department Commander: General B. Bragg, average, +1

Hoke's Division: Major General R. F. Hoke, average, +1

Clingman's Brigade: 8th N.C., 400 men, RM, average

31st N.C., 380 men, RM, average
57th N.C., 400 men, RM, average
61st N.C., 400 men, RM, average

Colquitt's Brigade: Brigadier General A. H. Colquitt, average, +1

6th Ga., 340 men, RM, average
31st Ga., 380 men, RM, average
57th Ga., 340 men, RM, average
61st Ga., 400 men, RM, average
61st Ga., 340 men, RM, average

Hagood's Brigade: Colonel R. F. Graham, average, +1

11th S.C., 300 men, RM, average
21st S.C., 200 men, RM, average
25th S.C., 200 men, RM, average
27th S.C., 300 men, RM, average
28th S.C., 340 men, RM, average

Kirkland's Brigade: Brigadier General W. W. Kirkland, average, +1

17th N.C., 360 men, RM, average
42nd N.C., 300 men, RM, average
50th N.C., 400 men, RM, average
66th N.C., 400 men, RM, average

Cavalry:

2nd S.C., 200 men, carbine, average

Fort Fisher

District Commander: Major General W. H. C. Whiting, average, +1

Fort Fisher Garrison: Colonel W. Lamb, superior, +2

10th N.C. (2 co.), green
36th N.C. (10 co.), green
40th N.C. (4 co.), green
1st N.C. Art. Btn. (1 co.), green
3rd N.C. Art. Btn. (1 co.), green
13th N.C. Art. Btn. (1 co.), green
Naval Detachment, green

Sally-port Battery:

1 x 12 lb. Napoleon, 1 x 10 lb. Parrott, green

Palisade Gate Battery:

2 x 12 lb. Napoleons, green

Battery Buchanan: Captain R. T. Chapman, C.S.N., poor, +0

4 x 10" Columbiads, green

Large Wilmington Map (45K)

Large Fort Fisher Map (40K)

Back to Historical Summary

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