The Fort was the largest earthwork fortification in the Confederacy

Fort Fisher was the largest earthwork fortification in the Confederacy and for four years (1861- 1865) played a vital role in the Southern war effort. It is rated one of the facts about the battle of Fort Fisher.

Fort Fisher was the final significant coastal fort under Confederate hands after Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay fell in August 1864. The final remaining connection between the already doomed Confederacy and the outside world was severed when the fort fell to Union forces on January 15, 1865, following the biggest naval bombardment of land defenses known at the time.

Earth and sand were stacked to form mounds that, in some cases, reached heights of 30 feet for the Fort's fortifications. Because sand absorbs stress and fire far better than brick or wood, which would explode into pieces, the earthwork was deemed to be a more durable fortification. To defend themselves against enemy artillery fire, the Confederates built offices and hospitals inside these enormous mounds. Due to the Fort's location on the beach, another benefit of the earthwork construction was that any breaches in the mounds could be simply repaired using the nearby sand.