A Brief History of Fort Fisher

CIVIL WAR
The Cape Fear River was lined with Confederate and other earlier fortifications. Fort Johnston, was located in Smithville (Southport), and Fort Anderson is upriver at the ruins of Brunswick Town. The main defense shifted to Oak Point on Oak Island where Fort Caswell was built. Bald Head Point on Smith's Island (Bald Head Island) also had significant Confederate fortifications, and is sometimes called Fort Holmes.
Bald Head included Battery Holmes on the point itself, Batteries 1 and 2 along the Atlantic shoreline of the point and Battery 3 just inland from Battery 2. Just south of the lighthouse was Battery 4. All of these batteries were connected by a line of earthworks. Since the island has become a resort area, most of the fortifications are believed to be lost. Not much of Fort Johnston in Southport is left either. However, the officers quarters still survives in excellent condition as a private residence, and is a nice feature on the waterfront. Fort Anderson and Brunswick Town is now a State Historic Site near Orton Plantation north of the Army's Marine Terminals.
Fort Fisher was rather insignificant at first until Col. Lamb expanded the fort in 1862. This became Wilmington's primary defense. A Union attack failed in 1864, but was successful in 1865. Once this fort fell, other forts were abandoned and the Confederacy's last remaining port was shut down. Without a supply line, the Confederacy was doomed and the war soon ended. An "L"-shaped fortification, it was actually a line of batteries connected by earthworks. Shepherd's Battery and part of the land face is all that is left of the fort in the state park. An Air Force landing strip and US 421 runs through this segment of the fort. The State Historic Site Visitor Center is in the middle of this airstrip. Now eroded into the sea is the Northeast Bastion and the sea face batteries of Battery Meade, Cumberland Battery, Columbiad Battery, Battery Bolles, Purdie Battery, and Battery Roland. The Fort Fisher State Recreation Area contains the remainder of the batteries. Still existing, but hard to distinguish among the sand dunes are the remains of, Lenoir Battery, Battery Hedrick (behind Visitor Center), and Battery Lamb or the Mound Battery. A Telegraph Station was just above Battery Hedrick. On Federal Point, near the ferry terminal, is Battery Buchanan.

TEMPORARY HARBOR DEFENSES of WILMINGTON
The Kure Beach Reservation (1942 - 1944) was a four-gun 155mm battery in revetments located outside Fort Fisher to defend the inlet to Wilmington. This may have been at the location of the Fort Fisher Air Force Station. Several field howitzers were emplaced at various locations from Federal Point to Carolina Beach before the 155mm site was built. Anti-Aircraft artillery were also placed here. A nature trail from the State Rec. Area Visitor Center takes you by a World War II era bunker - probably an anti-aircraft battery. The remnants of a World War II Coast Artillery fire control tower is located along the walkway at the north face of the fort. Camp Davis near Holly Ridge was a barracks and headquarters site for the Kure Beach personnel.