USS Governor Buckingham – Lt. John MacDiarmid USS Lilian – Lt. T.A. Harris USS Little Ada – Lcdr. Benjamin H. Porter USS Maratanza – Lcdr. George Young USS Moccasin – Ens. James Brown USS Montgomery – Lt. Edward H. Faucon USS Nansemond USS R. R. Cuyler – Cmdr. Charles Henry Bromedge Caldwell USS Tristram Shandy – Lt. Edward F. Devens USS Wilderness Confederate District of Cape Fear – MG. William H.C. Whiting Fort Fisher Garrison - Col. William Lamb 10th North Carolina - Ltc. John P.W. Read (w), Maj. James Reilly 36th North Carolina - Col. William Lamb 40th North Carolina 1st Battalion North Carolina Junior Reserves - Maj. D.T. Millard 1st Battalion North Carolina Heavy Artillery, Co. D - Cpt. James L. McCormic 3rd Battalion North Carolina Light Artillery, Co. C - Cpt. John M. Sutton 13th Battalion North Carolina Light Artillery, Co. D - Cpt. Zachariah T. Adams Confederate Navy Detachment – Lt. Robert T. Chapman Confederate Marine Corps Detachment – Cpt. A.C. Van Benthuysen Hoke's Division (Army of Northern Virginia) – MG. Robert F. Hoke Hagood's Brigade - BG. Johnson Hagood 7th South Carolina Battalion - Ltc. James H. Rion 11th South Carolina - Col. F. Hay Gantt 21st South Carolina - Col. Robert F. Graham 25th South Carolina - Cpt. James Carson 27th South Carolina Kirkland's Brigade - BG. William Kirkland 17th North Carolina - Ltc. Thomas H. Sharp 42nd North Carolina - Col. John E. Brown 66th North Carolina - Col. John H. Nethercutt Connally's Brigade, North Carolina Reserves – Col. John K. Connally 4th Battalion North Carolina Junior Reserves - Maj. John M. Reece 7th Battalion North Carolina Junior Reserves - Maj. William F. French 8th Battalion North Carolina Junior Reserves - Maj. James Ellington 8th Battalion North Carolina Senior Reserves - Col. Allmond McKoy Artillery Southerland's Battery - Cpt. Thomas J. Southerland Paris's Battery, Staunton Hill Artillery - Cpt. Andrew B. Paris Battle The Union forces prepared to leave Hampton Roads on December 10, but a winter storm hit the fleet for three days, preventing the fleet's departure until the 14th. The transports carrying Butler's force arrived at Fort Fisher first, since the navy took longer to refuel at Beaufort than expected. When Porter's ships arrived on the 19th, another storm hit the fleet, causing some ships to scatter and forcing the army transports to return to Beaufort. After the storm subsided on