Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

At the time of the proposed attack of Weitzel but one out of the, twenty heavy guns had been disturbed by the fire of the navy; the torpedoes and palisades were all in order and the Napoleons ready for use. The fort was not silenced, but was only reserving its scant supply of shot and shell. The single long range gun with which the iron-clad could be reached to do any damage was an English one hundred and fifty-pounder Armstrong gun, and for this there were but thirteen shells, and no other ammunition could be used in it. For the forty-four heavy guns and three mortars the fort had not over thirty-six hundred shot and shell.¹

The following extract from a letter of Colonel Lamb will show the condition of the fort as regards its capabilities for defence on the, occasion of the first attack, December 24 and 25:--

To the Editor of the Globe:--

Among the papers which were saved and returned to me after the war, was my original Ms. report of the first battle of Fort Fisher, December 24 and 25, 1864, and my journal from October 24, 1864, to the afternoon of January 14, 1865, giving details of all important events, and I therefore have not to recall from memory the occurrences of a quarter of a century ago, but have contemporaneous entries made from personal observation and official reports. My New England friends must not, therefore, feel annoyed at my corrections, which I make in the interest of the truth of history.

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The hand to hand fight in the fort was a prolonged and terrible one.

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Lastly, upon the authority of some of my men, who were captured, one of your informants says that General Butler could easily have taken the fort on Christmas night. These men did not know what they were talking about, and while General Butler is fully able to take care of himself, it is due to Major-General Weitzel, the accomplished officer upon. whose report General Butler withdrew his forces from the attempt to capture Fort Fisher, Christmas night, to say that he acted wisely; that if he had made the attempt, his small force would have been almost annihilated before they reached the works proper, if any could be gotten so far, and it is a shame that Bragg allowed them to re-embark without capture.