DECEMBER 23, 1864:
A Union battle fleet is standing off the North
Carolina coast at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is there to take
Wilmington, the last major port of the Confederacy. The city itself is 30 miles
inland, but the approach to the city is guarded by powerful Fort Fisher.
The
winter waters off the North Carolina coast are notoriously evil. The Union
commanders are hoping to put Fort Fisher out of commission quickly so that they
can avoid being swallowed up the gales that tear through the area. The swells
in the area are already making operations hazardous. To this end they come up
with what they think is a clever ruse: They load the U.S.S. LOUISIANA with
explosives, disguise her as a blockade runner, and steer the ship close (but
not close enough) to Fort Fisher before they abandon her. The explosion is
massive, but it does little more than scorch the seaward face of the fort.
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