The first thing to note about Ft. Fisher, a Confederate fort, is that it is operated by the State of North Carolina, whereas Ft. Pulaski is a national monument. Following from this ownership is a rather surprising nickname for the place: "American Gibraltar." Granted that it allowed the port at Wilmington to generally withstand the Union blockade for most of the Civil War, and granted that it was accepted by generals on both sides to have been a well-designed and well-built fortress, it was neither 'American' nor an impenetrable rock. As reflected in both Ft. Sumter and Ft. Pulaski, masonry and brick forts had proved incapable of withstanding shore-based or shipboard cannon, and the rifling of barrels had increased both the range and accuracy of cannon. Ft. Fisher was built using masses of piled earth over a period of three years.
The fort's commander, William Lamb, designed Ft. Fisher as an earthen fortress after the Malakof, a Russian fortress during the Crimean War. The earthen ramparts protected the guns, the ammunition dumps and the communication tunnels against the explosive shells, whose destructive energy was mostly dissipated by the mounds of dirt. Whereas Ft. Pulaski succumbed after a deluge of about 1000 shells, Ft. Fisher withstood about 50,000 rounds over the course of two battles. A land assault along the the northern side of the fort in January 1865 finally ended the Confederate fort's military career.
While some of the historical emphasis may have been different if the site were run by the National Park Service rather than the State of North Carolina, the historical features are still fairly depicted, the archaeological work is well done, and the signage is excellent.
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| Landward face of Ft. Fisher |
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| Albino Alligator at North Carolina Aquarium |
