Fort Anderson, an earthen fortification, was constructed in March 1862
as part of the overall Cape Fear defense system. This system protected
the Cape Fear River channel to the port of Wilmington, which was a major
supply line to the Confederate forces. On February 19, 1865, a month
after Fort Fisher's fall, a severe bombardment by the Union navy and an
encircling movement by Union land forces caused the abandonment of Fort
Anderson by Confederates who fled northward to Wilmington.
Reprinted from North Carolina Historical Sites
Building a Confederate Fort
By 1864, only the Confederate capital of Richmond was more
important to the fledgling nation than the port of Wilmington, N.C. The Cape
Fear River was vital to blockade running ships, bringing vital supplies into
the interior of the Confederacy, trade, and access to railroad lines to the
various fronts throughout the South.1
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| Attack from the Cape Fear River |
There were two paths to gain access to the Cape Fear and
Wilmington: Old Inlet, to the south and west of Bald Head Island, and New
Inlet, formed during a major hurricane in 1769, to the north of Bald Head
Island. Forts Caswell, Campbell, and Battery Shaw on Oak Island, along with
Fort Holmes on Bald Head Island guarded the Old Inlet entrance to Cape Fear.
Fort Fisher was built on Federal Point to guard the New Inlet, and it was
considered impregnable by both the Union and the Confederacy. Interior river
fortifications leading up to Wilmington included Fort Johnston (renamed Fort Pender
in 1864), a number of earthen batteries, and Fort Anderson.2
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| Remaining Earthworks |
In 1862, it was decided that another fort would be built on
the location of the old colonial Brunswick Town to aid in the defense of the
precious port, Wilmington. “Brunswick struck [Brig. Gen. Samuel Gibbs] French
as an ideal site to build a fortification. Although the Cape Fear River was
more than a mile wide at that point, low bluffs overlooked the river’s narrow
channel, which ran within a few yards of the west bank. A battery on high ground,
French believed, would command both the river traffic and the western land
approaches to Wilmington.” 3 Maj. Thomas Rowland was
charged with construction of the fort, which he called Fort St. Philips, after
the ruins of St. Philips Church, which sat within the fortification’s walls. 4 Rowland
took up residence at nearby Orton Plantation, while he supervised the
construction of Fort St. Philips.5
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| St. Philip's Anglican Church |
The fortifications consisted of two earthenwork batteries.
Battery A ran parallel to the Cape Fear. Wooden barracks were built in a safe
area behind the battery. Battery B ran perpendicular to the Cape Fear,
extending from the river to the walls of St. Philips Church. “High buffer
mounds were erected behind this battery which was equipped with 32 pound guns.
A breech loading weapon with a long-range firing capacity was also used. This
was the Whitworth gun, several of which were brought from other forts in the
area. Other guns in the fort were three rifled 32 pounders, six smoothbore 32
pounders, and three smoothbore 24 pounders.” 6 The
fortifications extended westward beyond smaller ponds, until they reached the
larger Orton Pond. The fort was subsequently improved and enlarged while under
the commands of Maj. William Lamb and Maj. John J. Hedrick. On July 1, 1863,
the name was changed to Fort Anderson to honor Brig. Gen. George Burgwyn
Anderson, who had been mortally wounded at Antietam.
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| Reenactment at Fort Anderson |
An anonymous artilleryman of Company E, 36th North Carolina
Regiment gave the following report for The Wilmington Journal on
May 28, 1863:
"We have at length, by the sweat of
our brows, and the power of our bone and muscle, completed one of the most
formidable batteries in the Southern Confederacy. Guided and sustained by the
energy and perseverance of Major [John J.] Hedrick, commanding (who is a good
commander and a gentleman to boot), we have put up a work which will compare
favourably with any work of its kind in the county, and now only want certain
additions to our armament to feel confident of being able to defy all Yankeedom
to reach Wilmington by this route. We have, up to this time, done our full duty
in building fortifications for the defense of Wilmington, as well as for the
protection of our homes and firesides, out wives and children, and of most of
all near and dear to us. If the enemy should ever approach us here, we intend
to give him a warm reception. With the help of God, we intend to stand by our
guns until the last man falls, or gain the victory." 7
Notes
1. Fonvielle, Fort Anderson, 2.
2. Fonvielle, Fort Anderson, 4.
3. Fonvielle, Fort Anderson, 8.
4. Pedlow, The Story of Brunswick Town, 55.
5. Fonvielle, Fort Anderson, 8-9.
6. South, Colonial Brunswick, 8-9.
7. The Wilmington Journal, May 28, 1776, in
Fonvielle, Fort Anderson, 19.
