The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope [Paperback]

Jr. Chris E. Fonvielle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

While prior books on the battle to capture Wilmington, North Carolina, have focused solely on the epic struggles for Fort Fisher, in many respects this was just the beginning of the campaign. In addition to complete coverage (with significant new information) of both battles for Fort Fisher, The Wilmington Campaign includes the first detailed examination of the attack and defense of Fort Anderson. It also features blow-by-blow accounts of the defense of the Sugar Loaf Line and of the operations of Federal warships on the Cape Fear River. This masterpiece of military history proves yet again that there is still much to be learned about the American Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The Wilmington Campaign is a splendid achievement. This gripping chronicle of the five-weeks' campaign up the Cape Fear River adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of the Confederacy's collapse." -James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

About the Author

Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., a native of Wilmington, served as the last curator of the Blockade Runners of the Confederacy Museum near Wilmington. The Wilmington Campaign is his first full-length study.

Product Details

• Paperback: 644 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811729915
• ISBN-13: 978-0811729918
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,611,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Summary of the Wilmington Campaign!, July 12, 2005

By 

Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope (Paperback)

Why can't more Civil War titles be written like this: an interesting and smooth flowing narrative, sufficient number of high quality maps, ample photographs, and anecdotes of officer and enlisted participants?

In my humble opinion, Fonvielle has written what I believe to be one of the best Civil War campaign studies, period! His narrative is simple without being simplistic, maps of outstanding quality and plenty of them, and ample illustrations and photos of the fort, participants, and the area around Wilmington NC.

Except for a few years living in Virginia while serving in the Air Force, I have spent my life in North Carolina and have often visited the Wilmington and Fort Fisher area. Fonvielle's title will serve as an excellent resource on my next visit and is invaluable to those who want to know more about what happened in the Wilmington area after the fall of Fort Fisher.

While reading both Fonvielle's and Gragg's accounts of Fort Fisher, I often pondered: what would have happened if General Bragg was more aggressive in his defense of Fort Fisher by ordering a larger portion of Hoke's division to defend the fort instead of staying put at Sugar Loaf? Indeed, this is often the true mark of an outstanding Civil War book: pondering the "what ifs" of the war and how a change in a decision could have affected the war's length or outcome.

Fonvielle's book has hit the mark and is highly recommended. Read and enjoy!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history of an obscure Civil War Campaign, September 19, 2002

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope (Paperback)

The Civil War had many campaigns, and numerous battles. Most of them have been chronicled at one time or another. The battle of Fort Fisher, in North Carolina near Wilmington, was wonderfully written about a decade ago in Confederate Goliath by noted historian Rod Gragg. Gragg's book however, finishes with the end of the battle, and has nothing or next to it to say about the ensuing campaign to capture the city of Wilmington itself. The campaign as a whole is the subject of Chris Fonvielle's book, which has a larger scope than Gragg's excellent work, and is equally skilled.

Fonvielle is a southerner, and was a resident of Wilmington at the time the book was written. Since I had just finished another book that was originally published by Savas publishing (Last Chance for Victory) and I had hacked it to pieces here as unreasonably pro-Confederate, I was somewhat apprehensive when I started this book. No worries, Fonvielle is balanced, forthright, and very careful with the issues and participants on both sides. The result is a wonderful depiction of the campaign and battle as they occurred, with a number of wonderful anecdotes. The author also does a masterful job of depicting the strategic context of the campaign and battle, and their impact on the war's last phase.

I've read a number of books on the Civil War. This one has excellent maps and illustrations, is well-thought-out and concise, without being either cursory or overly brief, and is well-documented. I would recommend this book to any Civil War buff.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War History of Wilmington finally written, March 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope (Paperback)

This is history written right. From the details of the major battles for Fort Fisher, the defense of Fort Anderson, right down to the smaller actions around this important port city, the author covers all. Being a student of Maj. General W.H.C. Whiting, I was amazed to see the only known, full length photo of him, published for the first time. The maps are wonderful, especially the fold outs. Written portraits of all the players are included in the text, without bias. The author is a native of Wilmington, and his love for the area shows with this work. 130+ years after the final battles of the war were fought, Wilmington's story is told.