— Casualties and Other Numbers —
The Second Engagement at Fort Fisher
January 13-15, 1865
|
FORT FISHER GARRISON |
|
Forces Engaged: |
| |
| Command |
Effectives |
| Garrison |
Approx. 1,550 |
| Reinforcements January
15: |
|
Elements of the 11th, 21st, and 25th SC Infantry |
350 |
| |
|
Approximate Total: |
1,900 |
|
Casualties: |
| |
|
Killed and Wounded (approx.) |
500 |
|
Captured (approx.) |
1,400 |
|
Approximate Total: |
1,900 |
|
Guns in Position When Captured: |
|
| No. |
Weapon |
Condition |
Carriage |
| |
LAND FACE |
|
| 1 |
10-inch
columbiad |
Unserviceable |
Unserviceable |
| 2 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (old 32) |
" |
Serviceable |
| 3 |
8-inch
smoothbore - 1841 |
Serviceable |
Unserviceable |
| 4 |
8-inch
smoothbore - 1841 |
Unserviceable |
" |
| 5 |
8-inch
columbiad |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 6 |
4˝-inch
Parrott rifle |
" |
" |
| 7 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
Unserviceable |
" |
| 8 |
5 7/8-inch
smoothbore (24) |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 9 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
" |
" |
| 10 |
5˝-inch
Coehorn mortar |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 11 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
Unserviceable |
Unserviceable |
| 12 |
5˝-inch
Coehorn mortar |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 13 |
6˝-inch
smoothbore (32) |
" |
" |
| 14 |
8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 15 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
" |
Serviceable |
| 16 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 17 |
6 3/8-inch
smoothbore (32) |
Unserviceable |
" |
| 18 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
Serviceable |
" |
| 19 |
7-inch
Brooke rifle |
" |
Serviceable |
| 20 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 21 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
Unserviceable |
" |
| 22 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 23 |
8-inch
mortar |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 24 |
8-inch
smoothbore |
" |
" |
| |
SEA FACE |
|
| 25 |
8-inch
Blakely rifle |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 26 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 27 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
" |
| 28 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 29 |
---------- |
---------- |
---------- |
| 30 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
Serviceable |
| 31 |
8-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 32 |
8-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 33 |
8-inch
columbiad |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 34 |
8-inch
columbiad |
" |
Serviceable |
| 35 |
7-inch
Brooke rifle |
Unserviceable |
Unserviceable |
| 36 |
8-inch
columbiad |
Serviceable |
Serviceable |
| 37 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
" |
| 38 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
" |
| 39 |
150-pdr.
Armstrong rifle |
" |
" |
| 40 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 41 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 42 |
7-inch
Brooke rifle |
Serviceable |
" |
| 43 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
" |
| 44 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 45 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
" |
| 46 |
10-inch
columbiad |
" |
Unserviceable |
| 47 |
6 3/8-inch
rifle (32) |
" |
Serviceable |
|
See Map of Fort Fisher |
TOP |
|
HOKE'S DIVISION |
|
Forces Engaged: |
|
| Command |
Effectives |
| Hoke's Division |
Approx. 6,400 |
|
Casualties: None reported for Hoke's
demonstration on the Union northern line on January 15, but the division
probably lost a few men on the skirmish line (Kirkland's and Clingman's
Brigades). TOP |
|
UNITED STATES ARMY |
|
Forces Present: |
| |
| Command |
Effectives |
|
From official returns for January 10, 1865* |
| |
Officers |
Men |
Aggregate |
| General Headquarters |
12 |
12 |
24 |
| Ames's division (2nd, XXIV) |
192 |
3,787 |
4,243 |
| Paine's division (3rd, XXV) |
160 |
3,149 |
3,683 |
| Abbott's brigade (2, 1, XXIV) |
65 |
1,385 |
1,494 |
| 16th New York Battery |
3 |
42 |
45 |
| 3rd U.S. Artillery (E) |
4 |
55 |
61 |
| Detachment Signal Corps |
4 |
27 |
31 |
| Ambulance Corps |
----- |
----- |
51 |
|
Total: |
440 |
8,457 |
9,632 |
| *Officers and men reported as
present for duty. Aggregate reported as Aggregate present. |
|
Casualties:1 |
| |
|
Second Division, XXIV Army Corps: Ames |
| Unit |
Killed |
Wounded |
Missing |
Total |
| XXIV A.C. HQ |
----- |
1 |
----- |
1 |
| Division Staff |
----- |
4 |
----- |
4 |
| (1) Curtis |
39 |
184 |
5 |
228 |
| (2) Pennypacker |
51 |
227 |
2 |
280 |
| (3) Bell |
16 |
97 |
2 |
115 |
|
First Division, XXIV Army Corps |
| (2) Abbott |
4 |
23 |
4 |
31 |
|
Third Division, XXV Army Corps |
| (3) 27th USCT |
1 |
4 |
----- |
5 |
|
Total: |
111 |
540 |
13 |
6642 |
| 1From
official returns.
2In
addition, 1 officer and 4 men, 112th NY; and 1 man, 142nd NY were wounded
on January 14; for a total of 670.
Unofficial army returns place
the total at 955 battle victims (184 killed, 749 wounded, and 22
missing)., with at least another 104 casualties from the magazine explosion
on January 16 (25 killed, 66 wounded, and 13 missing). TOP
|
|
UNITED STATES NAVY |
|
Forces Engaged: |
| |
| Number of Warships |
58 |
| Naval Shore Contingent |
(Sailors and Marines) 2,261 |
| Casualties: |
| |
| Command |
Totals |
|
From official returns. |
| Sailors |
Officers |
Men |
Aggregate |
|
Killed: |
6 |
75 |
81 |
|
Wounded: |
24 |
198 |
222 |
|
Missing: |
----- |
29 |
29 |
| Marines |
|
Killed: |
----- |
7 |
7 |
|
Wounded: |
2 |
47 |
49 |
|
Missing: |
----- |
5 |
5 |
|
Total: |
32 |
361 |
393 |
|
Rounds Expended: |
| |
| Number of Projectiles |
Weight |
| 19,682 |
1,652,638 pounds |
| Combined with numbers from the
December 1864 bombardment, the projectiles expended equal 39,953—with a
weight of 2,927,937 pounds. The projectile numbers are officially suffixed
with this statement: "It is estimated that the above statement
includes between 90 and 95 percent of the projectiles actually expended." TOP |
|
TOTAL FEDERAL CASUALTIES: 2ND FORT FISHER |
|
The combined army and navy losses range somewhere between 1,167 and 1,452 killed, wounded, and missing—based upon published figures available, as listed above. TOP |
|
COMBINED UNION AND CONFEDERATE CASUALTIES |
|
for the December 1864 and January 1865 Engagements |
| |
|
— December 1864 — |
| Command |
Killed |
Wounded |
C/M |
Total |
| Federal Army |
1 |
11 |
1 |
13 |
| Federal Navy |
20 |
63 |
----- |
83 |
| |
| Fort Fisher |
3 |
58 |
----- |
61 |
| Hoke's Division |
5 |
16 |
307 |
328 |
| |
|
— January 1865 — |
| Federal Army |
209 |
815 |
35 |
1,059* |
| Federal Navy |
88 |
271 |
34 |
393 |
|
Subtotal: |
326 |
1,234 |
377 |
1,937 |
| |
| Fort Fisher |
500 |
1,400 |
1,900 |
| |
|
Aggregate: |
2,060 |
1,777 |
3,837 |
| |
| *Unofficial army figure of 955,
plus 104 from the magazine explosion. (Based upon the "official"
tally of 670, this figure would equal 774). The navy, however, also
reported a loss of eight men in the magazine explosion. It is unclear
whether these men are included in the total for this tragedy. (It is
thought that about 200 men, both Union and Confederate, were lost in the
explosion. It is further unclear whether the Confederate losses in the
explosion are included in the often-cited approximate figure of 500
killed and wounded for the garrison). |
| |
| Approximate Total Federal Casualties for Both
Engagements |
1,548 |
| Based upon the
"official" army tally of 670, this figure would equal 1,263. |
| |
| Approximate Total Confederate Casualties for
Both Engagements |
2,289 |
| |
| Combined Union and Confederate
Casualties for Both Engagements |
3,837 |
| Based upon the
"official" Federal army tally of 670, this figure would equal
3,552. |
| |
| The exact number of casualties
in the battles for Fort Fisher will never be known. Confederate records
are sketchy, and wide discrepancies exist between the various Federal
numbers published. In addition, the figure for the magazine mishap is
incomplete. TOP |
Sources:
United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion, A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
United States Navy Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1900-1901.
Johnson, Robert U. and Clarence C. Buel, eds. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. 4 vols. New York: The Century Company, 1884-1889.
As compiled and tabulated in:
The Wilmington Campaign and the Battles for Fort Fisher.
by Mark A. Moore — (Da Capo Press, 1999).
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