Compared to the commotion in the North today, Christmas appears to have been a rather quiet day of celebration. From the nation’s capital, the normal sounds of city life are shattered by the firing of ordnance. The morning was “ushered in with a booming of cannon, 300 having been fired in honor of the capture…
With Savannah safely in Federal hands, the Union Navy today begins an assault upon Fort Fisher, a Confederate fort guarding the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Battle of Fort Fisher lasts for four days. Today the Union attempts to destroy the fort’s walls by detonating a gunpowder-laden ship. This failed effort is followed…
With Savannah safely in Union hands, a victorious General William T. Sherman telegrams U.S. President Abraham Lincoln with a simple message: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition and also about 25,000 bales of cotton.” The capture of the port city…