Fort Anderson was a Civil War engagement fought in North Carolina, 1863. It was a Union victory.
Lt. Gen. James Longstreet took charge of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina on February 25 and initiated his Tidewater Operations. He directed D.H. Hill, commander of the North Carolina District, to advance on the Union stronghold of New Berne with about 12,000 men. Maj. Gen. William H.T. Whiting, who commanded the Wilmington garrison, refused to cooperate. After an initial success at Deep Gully on March 13, Hill marched against the well-entrenched Federals at Fort Anderson on March 14-15. Hill was forced to retire upon the arrival of Union gunboats. The city's garrison was heavily reinforced, and Hill withdrew to threaten Washington, North Carolina.
In mid-March 1863, Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Longstreet's command launched operations across the Tidewater region of North Carolina and Virginia. Taking the helm of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina on February 25, Longstreet set these movements in motion. He ordered Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill, who oversaw the North Carolina District, to lead approximately 12,000 troops toward the Union position at New Bern. Maj. Gen. William H. C. Whiting, in command at Wilmington, declined to participate in the campaign.
The fighting began on March 13 at Deep Gully, where Hill achieved early gains. The next phase of combat occurred two days later, when Hill dispatched Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew to assault Fort Anderson, a strongly fortified Union post situated across the river from New Bern. The engagement lasted through March 15, but Union gunboats arriving on the scene forced Pettigrew to pull back his forces. With Union reinforcements bolstering the city's defense, Hill made the decision to withdraw and redirect his focus toward Washington, North Carolina.
Though Pettigrew's assault had failed, Hill's campaign did not prove entirely fruitless. His troops managed to gather considerable provisions from the surrounding countryside, collecting food supplies into wagons from areas beyond the reach of Union garrisons.
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