Casualties and Other Numbers

January 13-15, 1865

Fort Fisher Garrison

Forces Engaged

COMMAND EFFECTIVES
Garrison Approx. 1,550
Reinforcements January 15:
Elements of the 11th, 21st, and 25th SC Infantry 350
 
Total: Approx. 1,900

Casualties

Killed and Wounded (approx.) 500
Captured (approx.) 1,400
Total:  Approx. 1,900

Guns in Position When Captured

No.  WEAPON CONDITION CARRIAGE
Land Face
1 10-inch columbiad Unserviceable Unserviceable
2 6 3/8-inch rifle (old 32) Unserviceable Serviceable
3 8-inch smoothbore - 1841 Serviceable Unserviceable
4 8-inch smoothbore - 1841 Unserviceable Unserviceable
8-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
6 4 1/2-inch Parrott rifle Serviceable Serviceable
7 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Unserviceable Serviceable
8 5 7/8-inch smoothbore (24) Unserviceable Unserviceable
9 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Unserviceable Unserviceable
10 5 1/2-inch Coehorn mortar Serviceable Serviceable
11 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Unserviceable Unserviceable
12 5 1/2-inch Coehorn mortar Serviceable Serviceable
13 6 1/2-inch smoothbore (32) Serviceable Serviceable
14 9-inch smoothbore (32) Serviceable Unserviceable
15 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Serviceable Serviceable
16 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Serviceable Unserviceable
17 6 3/8-inch smoothbore (32) Unserviceable Unserviceable
18 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Unserviceable
19 7-inch Brooke rifle Serviceable Serviceable
20 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Unserviceable
21 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Unserviceable Unserviceable
22 10-inch columbiad Unserviceable Unserviceable
23 8-inch mortar Serviceable Serviceable
24 8-inch smoothbore Serviceable Serviceable
Sea Face
25 8-inch Blakely rifle Serviceable Serviceable
26 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Unserviceable
27 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Unserviceable
28 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Unserviceable
29 ----- ----- -----
30 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
31 8-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
32 8-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
33 8-inch columbiad Serviceable Unserviceable
34 8-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
35 7-inch Brooke rifle Unserviceable Unserviceable
36 8-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
37 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Serviceable
38 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Serviceable
39 150-pdr. Armstrong rifle Serviceable Serviceable
40 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
41 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
42 7-inch Brooke rifle Serviceable Serviceable
43 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Serviceable
44 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
45 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Serviceable
46 10-inch columbiad Serviceable Unserviceable
47 6 3/8-inch rifle (32) Serviceable Serviceable

Hoke's Division

Forces Engaged

COMMAND EFFECTIVES
Hoke's Division Approx. 6,400

Casualties: None reported for Hoke's demonstration on the Union northern line on January 15, but the division probably lost a few men on the skirmish line (Kirkland's and Clingman's Brigades).

United States Army

Forces Present

COMMAND EFFECTIVES
From official returns for January 10, 1865*
  Officers Men Aggregate
General Headquarters 12 12 24
Ames's division (2nd, XXIV) 192 3,787 4,243
Paine's division (3rd, XXV) 160 3,149 3,683
Abbott's brigade (2, 1, XXIV) 65 1,385 1,494
16th New York Battery 3 42 45
3rd U.S. Artillery (E) 4 55 61
Detachment Signal Corps 4 27 31
Ambulance Corps ----- ----- 51
Total: 440 8,457 9,632

*Officers and men reported as present for duty. Aggregate reported as Aggregate present.

Casualties1

UNIT KILLED WOUNDED MISSING TOTAL
Second Division, XXIV Army Corps: Ames
XXIV A.C. HQ ----- 1 ----- 1
Division Staff ----- 4 ----- 4
(1) Curtis 39 184 5 228
(2) Pennypacker 51 227 2 280
(3) Bell 16 97 2 115
First Division, XXIV Army Corps
(2) Abbott 4 23 4 31
Third Division, XXV Army Corps
(3) 27th USCT 1 4 ----- 5
Total:  111 540 13 6642

1From official returns.

2In addition, 1 officer and 4 men, 112th NY; and 1 man, 142nd NY were wounded on January 24; for a total of 670.

Unofficial army returns place the total at 955 battle victims (184 killed, 749 wounded, and 22 missing), with at least another 104 casualties from the magazine explosion on January 16 (25 killed, 66 wounded, and 13 missing).

United States Navy

Forces Engaged

Number of Warships 58
Naval Shore Contingent (Sailors and Marines) 2,261

Casualties

COMMAND TOTALS
From official returns
Sailors Officers Men Aggregate
Killed 6 75 81
Wounded 24 198 222
Missing ----- 29 29
Marines
Killed  ----- 7 7
Wounded 2 47 49
Missing ----- 5 5
Total 32 361 393

Rounds Expended

NUMBER OF PROJECTILES WEIGHT
19,682 1,652,638 pounds

Combined with numbers from the December 1864 bombardment, the projectiles expended equal 39,953 — with a weight of 2,927,937 pounds. The projectile numbers are officially suffixed with this statement: "It is estimated that the above statement includes between 90 and 95 percent of the projectiles actually expended."

Total Federal Casualties: 2nd Fort Fisher

The combined army and navy losses range somewhere between 1,167 and 1,452 killed, wounded, and missing — based upon published figures available, as listed above.

Combined Union and Confederate Casualties

for the December 1864 and January 1865 Engagements

December 1864

COMMAND KILLED WOUNDED C/M TOTAL
Federal Army 1 11 1 13
Federal Navy 20 63 ----- 83
Fort Fisher 3 58 ----- 61
Hoke's Division 5 16 307 328

January 1865

COMMAND KILLED WOUNDED C/M TOTAL
Federal Army 209 815 35 1,059*
Federal Navy 88 271 34 393
Subtotal: 326 1,234 377 1,937
Fort Fisher 500 1,400 1,900  
Aggregate: 2,060 1,777 3,837  

*Unofficial army figure of 955, plus 104 from the magazine explosion. (Based upon the "official" tally of 670, this figure would equal 774). The navy, however, also reported a loss of eight men in the magazine explosion. It is unclear whether these men are included in the total for this tragedy. (It is thought that about 200 men, both Union and Confederate, were lost in the explosion. It is further unclear whether the Confederate losses in the explosion are included in the often-cited approximate figure of 500 killed and wounded for the garrison).

Approximate Total Federal Casualties for Both Engagements 1,548
Based upon the "official" army tally of 670, this figure would equal 1,263  
Approximate Total Confederate Casualties for Both Engagements 2,289
Combined Union and Confederate Casualties for Both Engagements 3,837
Based upon the "official" Federal army tally of 670, this figure would equal 3,552  

The exact number of casualties in the battles for Fort Fisher will never be known. Confederate records are sketchy, and wide discrepancies exist between the various Federal numbers published. In addition, the figure for the magazine mishap is incomplete.

Sources

United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion, A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.

United States Navy Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1900-1901.

Johnson, Robert U. and Clarence C. Buel, eds. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. 4 vols. New York: The Century Company, 1884-1889.

As compiled and tabulated in: The Wilmington Campaign and the Battles for Fort Fisher. by Mark A. Moore — (Da Capo Press, 1999).