Hurricane of Fire: The Union Assault on Fort Fisher [Hardcover]

Charles M., III Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

Based on exhaustive primary-source research, this is the first full history - from a naval perspective - of the fort on North Carolina's Cape Fear River and its little-known significance as both the Achilles' heel of the Union blockade and the lifeline of the Confederacy. It challenges many hidebound perceptions. Robinson vigorously disputes traditional explanations for the Union's inaction and the sacking of Adm. Samuel Lee with often embarrassing new findings. In a minute-by-minute description of the heaviest naval bombardment and greatest amphibious assault the world had ever seen, he also offers new evidence that vindicates the ill-equipped and poorly trained sailors and marines who for more than 130 years have been unjustly blamed for the failure of their assault across a mile of open beach.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In December 1864 and January 1865, Federal forces launched the greatest amphibious assault the world had yet seen on the Confederate stronghold of Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, North Carolina. This was the last seaport available to the South--all of the others had been effectively shut down by the Union's tight naval blockade. The initial attack was a disaster; Fort Fisher, built mainly out of beach sand, appeared almost impregnable against a heavy naval bombardment. When troops finally landed, they were quickly repelled. A second attempt succeeded and arguably helped deliver one of the death blows to a quickly fading Confederacy. Hurricane of Fire is a work of original scholarship, ably complementing Rod Gragg's Confederate Goliath, and the first book to take a full account of the navy's important supporting role in the assault. --John J. Miller

Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557507201
• ISBN-13: 978-1557507204
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,315,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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