Fort Fisher stood eighteen miles below Wilmington and kept the port of Wilmington open for the Confederacy during almost the entire Civil War. On December 24 and 25, 1864, it withstood the greatest bombardment in the history of the world up to that time, as 600 guns on 55 warships were engaged against it. On January 13, 1865, a larger fleet of 58 warships transporting an army of 10,000 men attacked the fort. After storming it for three days by sea and land, the fort was captured on the night of January 15, 1865.