Great Britain, the Bahamas, and Bermuda; much of the supplies for the Army of Northern Virginia came through Wilmington. Now with the port closed, the Union blockade was complete; the Confederates were unable to find another port along the Atlantic seaboard to replace Wilmington. Bragg came under severe criticism from the press for the Confederate defeat in the Wilmington Campaign. Several members of the Confederate Congress also directed criticism towards Confederate President Jefferson Davis and called for his resignation. Bragg's forces from Wilmington retreated towards Goldsboro, North Carolina, where it united with other Confederate forces commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston. The capture of Wilmington gave Sherman's forces a base of supply and a supply route to the sea. Schofield was forced to spend some time repairing the damage caused by the Confederates to the rail lines near the city. He was also forced to use supplies earmarked for Sherman to help paroled prisoners sent to Wilmington and the civilians still living in the city. Schofield's forces were reorganized into the Army of the Ohio and from Wilmington he marched inland to join with Sherman's forces near Fayetteville. Notes References Fonvielle Jr., Chris E. The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope. Campbell, California: Savas Publishing Company, 1997. . Gragg, Rod. Confederate Goliath: The Battle of Fort Fisher. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991. . Kennedy, Frances H., ed., The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. . War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, vol 47, Part 1, Page 909 Fort Fisher: National Historic Landmark, North Carolina Historic Sites "Monroe's Cross", Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) Report Update for North Carolina sites, National Park Service Battle of Wilmington Summary, American Battlefield Protection Program, National Park Service Further reading Mark A. Moore, The Wilmington Campaign and the Battles for Fort Fisher, Da Capo Press, 1999. Wilmington Wilmington Wilmington Wilmington History of Wilmington, North Carolina New Hanover County, North Carolina 1865 in the American Civil War 1865 in North Carolina February 1865 events