On Christmas Day 1864, Federal warships engaged Fort Fisher while approximately 2,700 Union infantry disembarked from Union transports, but the expedition failed because of the absence of army and navy cooperation, bad weather, and rumors of rebel reinforcements. On December 24, 56 Union ships with 619 guns fired approximately 20,000 shells and caused little damage, while Fort Fisher fired only 672 shells. Union troops landed north of Fort Fisher. Rear Adm. David Porter, the Union navy commander in both battles, blamed General Butler and the army for the failure, while Gen. Benjamin Butler, the Union army commander, blamed Admiral Porter and the navy. Butler had hoped to destroy the fort with a ship filled with gunpowder, but it failed.