Statewide County NcArchives News.....Fall of Fort Fisher 1865
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Connie Ardrey n/a February 16, 2008, 5:18 pm

Charlotte Daily Observer 1865
The Fall of Fort Fisher

The Record of Company D, First Battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery, as 
Given by a Member Present at the Fall.

In your Sunday edition of January 6th, last, in the "Last Ninety Days of the 
War in North Carolina," occurs the following passage, over the signature of 
W.A. Graham:

"No reports are given from official sources of the fall of Fort Fisher. 
Private accounts represent it as a disgraceful affair."

In reply to this, I desire to give the record made by Company D, First 
Battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery. The company was ordered to report 
at Fort Fisher on the 13th of January, 1865, from Fort Caswell, which it did 
on the same evening. We performed routine duty - I mean such as we were called 
on to discharge until the afternoon of the 15th of January, 1865, when the 
company was ordered to furnish the necessary number of men to serve a big gun 
near the centre of the land force of the fort, the balance of the company to 
go to the extreme left and act as infantry, which order was promptly obeyed.

The portion of the company acting as infantry manned the palisades, from the 
foot of what was known as Shepherd's battery to the river beach, including the 
gateway on an entrance to the fort. This position was held by the company, 
until the enemy crossed the line to our right, scaling the heights of the 
above mentioned battery to do so. Then they turned to the right, which move 
placed them in our rear and in close quarters with us, when, as a matter of 
necessity, what was left of old company D, had to surrender.

The company entered Fort Fisher so strong, rank and file, and lost during the 
engagement 15 killed, (including our captain, J.L. McCormick), and 35 wounded. 
This is our record and we leave it to you readers to decide whether or not it 
was disgraceful.

A. Shaw
Maxton, July 11, 1907


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