Join us for the 150th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Anderson Living History. In Winter of 1865: the Gibraltar of the South, Fort Fisher, had just fallen to Union forces. The end of the Civil War was in sight. Before the break of dawn on February 19, 1865, Confederate troops were forced to evacuate the last major defensive fortification on the lower Cape Fear, Fort Anderson. Over the course of the next 72 hours, the port of Wilmington would fall into Union hands. But what if Fort Anderson had not been evacuated in the night and Union Infantry had been forced to make a frontal assault on the massive feat of engineering? You’ll have a chance to see what the outcome could have been during To Forge a Thunderbolt: The 150th Anniversary of the Fall of Ft. Anderson on February 14th and 15th. Join us both days to experience battle reenactments, lectures by noted Civil War historians, living history, and tours of the pristine and normally inaccessible Northern Battery.
The evening of February 14th from 6pm-8pm, the site will present a dramatic interpretation of the fall of the fort, including night time artillery and rifle fire. Visitors will be guided on lantern tours, departing from the visitor center every 20 minutes, featuring interactive vignettes telling the true and harrowing tale of the fall of Fort Anderson. All programs are free.
Schedule of Events (Event schedule subject to change)
Saturday, February 14, 2015
9am- 8pm Visitor Center hours
10:00-4:30 Educational/Children’s Activities, Living History: Steam Engines of the Civil War, 19th Century Embalming, Coffin making
10:00-10:20 Artillery Demo
11:00-11:45 Chris Fonvielle: “Southern Battery (Battery B) Tour”
12:00-12:20 Torpedo demo
12:45-1:30 Fonvielle “To Forge a Thunderbolt: The Battle of Fort Anderson” Lecture
2:00- 3:00 Battle
3:15-4:00 Paul Shivers: “Northern Battery (Battery A) Tour”
4:00-4:30 Torpedo Demo
6:00-8:00 Fort Anderson Lantern tours
Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015
9am-5pm Visitor Center hours
10:30-10:50 Artillery demo
11:00-3:00 Educational/Children’s Activities, Living History: Steam Engines of the Civil War, 19th Century Embalming, Coffin making
11:15-11:35 Torpedo Demo
11:45-12:30 Fonvielle “To Forge a Thunderbolt: The Battle of Fort Anderson” Lecture
1:00-2:00 Battle
2:30*-3:15 Paul Shivers: “Northern Battery (Battery A) Tour”
3:30-3:50 Torpedo Demo
Contact: Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site (910) 371-6613 Sponsored by Friends of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson and organized by Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.
