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By 1864, Wilmington, North Carolina, and Mobile, Alabama were the only two major blockade-running ports left to the Confederacy. Wilmington, the most flourishing of the blockade-running ports, also proved to be the longest-lived. It was nearer to Nassau and Bermuda than other Southern ports, and its communication with Richmond made it vital both to the capital and to Lee's army. The configuration of the river mouth made effective blockades very difficult, and the main channel used by shipping was gaurded by the massive Fort Fisher, perhaps the strongest of all Confederate coastal defense works.
The first attack on Fort Fisher was headed by Ben Butler. On December 24-25, 1864, Butler commanded his ships to bombard the fort. Fort Fisher held and Union troops and ships withdrew. The battle ended the military career of Ben Butler. Grant then placed Alfred H. Terry in command of the force. On Januray 14-15, 1865, a new attack was launched against Fort Fisher. It succeeded, although only after heroic resistance by the outnumbered defenders of Fort Fisher. After this Fort fell, the remnant of the Confederacy no longer had a port worthy of the name.
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