FORT FISHER STATE HISTORIC SITE SPECIAL The Powder Magazine P O I N T S O F VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 SPRING 2010 I N T E R E S T • Join the Friends 2nd Saturdays at North Carolina Historic Sites of Fort Fisher on Visit Fort Fisher State Historic landscapes or page 5! Site on the second Saturdays of seascapes, June, July, and August 2010, and • Explore the will be selling experience a remarkable their work on Southern partnership of our cultural site, as well as Historical history and our local arts demonstrating their craft. Carolina’s coastal region, and Collection at community. In an exciting Visitors will be able to walk on Saturday, August 14 (Living UNC (Treasure initiative, all North Carolina through a recreated Civil War Our Civil War History) as we Maps, page 3). Historic Sites and Museums will landscape with a small look to the vital crafts that date join together to celebrate our Confederate encampment, to the mid-19th century. • Looking for a arts and heritage in a unique costumed tours, and small arms Civil War love way. Every “2nd Saturday” this weapons demonstrations If you are interested in story? Visit the summer, look to your local throughout the day. participating in our programs as Fort Fisher Gift State Historic Site or state an artist, please contact Amy Shop (page 2)! museum for fun, innovative New programs will also be Manor Thornton at (910) 458- events! offered on Saturday, July 10 5538 x502 or (Life on Fort Fisher’s [email protected]. We On Saturday, June 12, Fort Waterways) where we will work to match artists with INSIDE THIS Fisher will explore the examine what life was like living the most appropriate themed I S S U E : historical landscape around us between the Cape Fear River program. Space is available on a with a new lens. Local artists and the Atlantic Ocean through first come, first served basis. From the Site 2 and photographers, particularly the arts and crafts of North Manager’s Desk those who work with Gift Shop Corner 2 Treasure Maps 3 Summer Costumed Tours to Start Wednesday, June 2 Beginning June 2, experience interpreter will perform a rifle 4 Friends of Fort Fisher with a costumed demonstration for all visitors Fort Fisher interpreter every on-site. Join the Friends of 5 Wednesday through Sunday, Fort Fisher through August 15, 2010. Family-oriented, visitors of all Fort Fisher’s “Mary ages enjoy an engaging stroll Spring & Summer 6 Holloway” Summer around our scenic tour trail Programs for 2010 Interpreter will offer overlooking the Cape Fear costumed tours at 11 a.m. River. These tours delight and 3 p.m., Wednesday thousands of visitors annually, through Saturday, and at 3 so make sure to stop by this p.m. on Sundays. Following summer for your own Civil the tours, the historic War experience! Clyde Wilson, “Mary For more information contact Holloway” Summer Fort Fisher at (910) 458-5538 Interpreter from 2009 P A G E 2 From the Site Manager’s Desk Greetings Everybody! weekend attendance record, and we see many more events at Fort were rained out on Sunday! Fisher, including our large summer Fort Fisher State Historic Site has and fall programs, small Saturday enjoyed a terrific first quarter, and the Enough of my boasting — we could programs throughout the summer, remainder of 2010 promises to be not have had such a successful event three “Second-Saturdays” programs every bit as exciting. I want to share so without help from so many individuals that will bring the local arts much of what has been happening here, and organizations. First of all, I want community to Fort Fisher, and the starting with Fort Fisher’s 145 th to thank all Fort Fisher employees; Mary Holloway Seasonal Interpreter anniversary program. the many NC Historic Sites program from mid-May through mid employees who travelled from near -August. I am pleased to inform you Those of you who were not here the and far to participate; our site that this year’s seasonal interpreter weekend of January 16-17 missed one volunteers; the Upperman African is Wade Rogers. Wade is a of the best events ever presented at American Cultural Center; the North longtime employee of Tryon Palace Fort Fisher! Friday evening’s panel Carolina Humanities Council, our and Gardens, a student at East discussion, “Black Men Bearing discussion panelists, Dr. Richard Reid, Carolina University, and an Freedom,” packed the auditorium at Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Dr. John accomplished tailor of historical UNCW. Saturday’s programs were Haley, and Dr. Mark Elliott; many clothing. We are excited to have heavily attended, and the highlight was hundreds of reenactors; our local him join the Fort Fisher team and of course the battle reenactment. history authors; the Fort Fisher encourage you to enjoy his Several hundred reenactors took the Chapter 2325 of the United costumed tours and weapons field and recreated the fighting at Daughters of the Confederacy; and demonstrations. Sheppard’s Battery and the “Bloody the Friends of Fort Fisher. Deserving Gate,” and it looked terrific. The of special recognition for their I am out of space and time, so let Union forces outnumbered the outstanding contributions are Amy me close by thanking everyone who Confederate forces for the first time Manor Thornton, Michelle Lanier, makes Fort Fisher programming since the real battle! My old reenacting Andrew Duppstadt, Jeff Bockert, Jim possible, especially our visitors. unit, the 79 th New York Volunteers, McKee, Donny Taylor, Skip Smith, Your attendance at our programs, participated and when they deployed in Curt Cole, Kaye Lavin, and Jack Fryar. your donations, and gift shop line and charged up the face of the I know I must be overlooking some purchases make everything possible. bastion, I was green with envy! I have people and organizations- forgive me, To help Fort Fisher grow and lost count of the number of people- there are so many of you who acquire a national reputation as a visitors, reenactors, employees, and contributed to the most successful center of outstanding public history, others- who told me our battle- event ever held at Fort Fisher. You all I encourage you to join the Friends anniversary program was the best they have my sincere gratitude. of Fort Fisher and become involved. had ever attended. And speaking of We cannot do it without you! attendance, over 7,000 people enjoyed January’s event was only the the program. This is a Fort Fisher beginning. The remainder of 2010 will Jim Steele Gift Shop Corner Our latest addition to our throughout Undaunted Heart assassinated. Citizens of the bookstore at Fort Fisher is the are excerpts from Ella’s never- picturesque North Carolina book, Undaunted Heart: The before-published letters to her college town had endured True Story of a Southern Belle & parents that reveal a loving years of hardship and sacrifice, a Yankee General . Author Suzy marriage that transcended and now the Union army was Barile, a great-great- differences and scandal. patrolling its streets. One of granddaughter of Ella Swain Sherman’s young generals paid and Smith Atkins, tells their The story begins when a a visit to the stately home of story, separating facts from brigade of General Sherman’s David Swain, president of the elaborate embellishments the victorious army marched into University of North Carolina famous courtship and Chapel Hill the day after and a former governor of the marriage have taken on over Easter 1865, the Civil War had state, to inform him that the the generations. Interwoven just ended and President town was now under Union Abraham Lincoln had been THE POWDER MAGAZINE Continued on page 5 P A G E 3 Blackford’s commanding officer was Major General Jeremy Treasured Maps Francis Gilmer, probably the premier engineer of the Confederacy. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina February Prior to 1861, Benjamin Lewis Blackford had worked as a civil 23, 1818 he graduated second in the 1839 class at West Point engineer for a railroad company in Tennessee where he as a Lieutenant of Engineers where he subsequently served as conducted surveys and produced maps for the firm. With the Assistant Professor of Engineering at the Academy. In the old outbreak of hostilities he was soon employed by the army during the Mexican War he was Chief Engineer of the Confederate Engineer Department and on September 7, 1863 Army of the West in New Mexico and eventually saw service in he and his assistants were transferred from the Map Bureau in nearly all parts of the country. In the wake of the capitulation of Richmond to Wilmington, North Carolina. There this most Fort Sumter, South Carolina in April of 1861, Gilmer resigned excellent cartographer began an extensive topographic survey his commission on June 29, while in charge of the defenses of of the Wilmington Military District. By the time he had finished San Francisco, California. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant- the assignment he had completed at least eight maps of the Colonel of Engineers in the Confederate States Army he was Lower Cape Fear and environs. The history, survival and severely wounded at the battle of Shiloh where he was the preservation of Lieutenant Blackford’s maps, as well as a vast Chief Engineer to General Albert Sidney Johnston. Promotion collection of others is a miraculous story indeed. to Colonel of Engineers followed when he was made Chief Engineer of the Army of Northern Virginia. On August 25, 1863, Gilmer was again promoted jumping two grades to the rank of Major General when he was made Chief of the Engineer Bureau in the Confederate War Department.