Who are the Friends of Fort Fisher?
Friends of Fort Fisher are history lovers who support Fort Fisher State Historic Site. We partner with Fort Fisher State Historic Site and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to preserve this historic battlefield and training ground, interpret the Fort Fisher stories and promote a greater understanding of and appreciation for the significance of Fort Fisher’s role in our history.
The strategic importance of Fort Fisher toward the end of the American Civil War is considered by many to be great enough that its fall can be credited for hastening the end of our country’s bloodiest war. By December 1864, Wilmington, NC stood as the last remaining Confederate port open on the eastern seaboard, and its supplies were referred to by General Lee as the lifeblood of his men. Fort Fisher guarded the Atlantic entrance to the Cape Fear River which led to Wilmington. Called the Gibraltar of the South, Fort Fisher protected both the city of Wilmington and the blockade runners which supplied its port. Lincoln understood the importance of Fort Fisher and Union forces attacked and were thwarted in late December, 1864. They returned on January 13 1865. Deep in the night on January 15, 1865, the Fort fell. Wilmington fell by mid-February and Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox less than three months after the fall of Fort Fisher.
In 1941, Fort Fisher became militarily significant once again as a WWII auxiliary post for Camp Davis, in Holly Ridge NC, training at least 43 different anti-aircraft battalions, coast artillery regiments and engineer, signal corps, ordinance and air warning units.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Fort Fisher is a North Carolina and National treasure. Its stories include those who built, defended, fought at, trained at and, in many cases, died on its grounds.
Today Fort Fisher State Historic Site is growing. In fact, with over 900,000 visitors last year, it is North Carolina’s most visited historic site! Friends of Fort Fisher support the site. State appropriations cannot meet the site’s needs. Friends step in to help carry the Site’s vision into the future. Funding from Friends of Fort Fisher make the Site’s engaging educational programs possible, provides for needed staffing, assists with site preservation, and creates exciting and inclusive exhibits. When you join or donate to Friends of Fort Fisher, you become the life blood of Fort Fisher State Historic Site’s support system. You make the mission grow.
