Philip Bazaar

He Carried Dispatches Through the Fire at Fort Fisher

Philip Bazaar was born in Chile, South America, and later immigrated to the United States, where he would become one of the distinguished naval servicemen of the American Civil War. His journey from South America to the battlefields of North Carolina ultimately earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor.

Although the exact circumstances of his early life remain largely undocumented, Bazaar eventually settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. During the nineteenth century, New Bedford was one of America's most important maritime centers, with a busy harbor and an international community connected to commercial shipping and the whaling industry.

When the American Civil War divided the United States, Bazaar entered the Union Navy. He served as an ordinary seaman, a naval rating that involved the demanding responsibilities of shipboard life and required sailors to perform essential duties under difficult conditions.

His service brought him aboard USS Santiago de Cuba, a steam-powered Union warship operating with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

The Union Navy played a crucial role in the Civil War by blockading Confederate ports, intercepting ships carrying military supplies, and supporting attacks against enemy coastal fortifications. Its operations gradually restricted the Confederacy's ability to obtain weapons, ammunition, and other essential resources from overseas.

By late 1864, the Confederate port of Wilmington, North Carolina, had become one of the most important remaining gateways for blockade runners.

Protecting the entrance to Wilmington was Fort Fisher, a formidable coastal fortress overlooking the approaches to the Cape Fear River. Its powerful artillery batteries and extensive earthworks made it one of the strongest Confederate defensive positions on the Atlantic coast.

Capturing Fort Fisher would help close Wilmington to Confederate maritime traffic and further weaken the Southern war effort.

In December 1864, Union forces launched their first major assault against the fort. A large naval fleet under Rear Admiral David D. Porter bombarded the Confederate defenses while an Army expedition attempted to establish a position ashore.

The initial operation failed to capture the fortress.

Union commanders soon organized a second attack, this time with Major General Alfred H. Terry leading the Army forces. The operation required close cooperation between the Navy and Army, combining sustained naval bombardment with a determined assault against the Confederate defenses.

In January 1865, the Union fleet returned to Fort Fisher.

USS Santiago de Cuba participated in the renewed operation, joining the naval forces supporting the attack on the Confederate stronghold.

On January 15, 1865, the battle reached its decisive stage.

Union soldiers and sailors advanced against Fort Fisher while Confederate defenders resisted fiercely. Naval gunfire struck the fortifications, and the fighting intensified as the attacking forces attempted to break through the defensive positions.

Philip Bazaar was assigned to a boat crew detailed for duty with one of the Union generals operating ashore.

The assignment placed him in the midst of the land assault rather than aboard the relative protection of his warship.

During the height of the fighting, Bazaar accompanied a small party responsible for carrying military dispatches. These messages formed part of the essential communications between officers coordinating the operation.

Delivering them required the men to move through a battlefield exposed to Confederate fire.

Bazaar advanced with his companions despite the danger.

As the assault continued, he entered Fort Fisher itself, becoming one of the small number of men from the naval fleet who reached the fort during the attack.

His actions were particularly remarkable because his assigned duty was not simply to deliver a message from a secure position. He and his companions carried dispatches into an active battlefield while Union and Confederate forces fought for control of the fortress.

In nineteenth-century warfare, commanders relied heavily on couriers and written orders to communicate across areas where battlefield conditions could change rapidly. Delivering dispatches under fire demanded courage, physical endurance, and a willingness to expose oneself to danger without the protection normally provided by established defensive positions.

Bazaar carried out that responsibility during one of the most intense moments of the assault.

The battle continued as Union troops forced their way into Confederate positions. After prolonged fighting, Federal forces captured Fort Fisher, securing a major victory in the campaign against Wilmington.

The fall of the fortress had consequences far beyond the battlefield.

Without Fort Fisher protecting the entrance to the Cape Fear River, Wilmington's usefulness as a Confederate port was severely reduced. The Union victory helped close an important supply route at a critical moment when the Confederacy was already facing mounting military pressure.

For Philip Bazaar, the operation became the defining event of his naval service.

His courage in entering the fort and assisting with the delivery of dispatches during the assault brought him national recognition.

On June 22, 1865, his Medal of Honor recognition was recorded under General Order No. 59.

The award honored his bravery as an ordinary seaman aboard USS Santiago de Cuba during the assault on Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. His official citation recognized his participation in the boat crew assigned to a general ashore, his entry into the fort during the assault, and his role in carrying dispatches at the height of the battle.

Bazaar's achievement was significant both for the danger he faced and for the responsibility he fulfilled. While warships bombarded the Confederate positions and soldiers fought for control of the fortifications, he performed the essential work of carrying communications through the fighting.

His actions demonstrated that extraordinary courage could be shown not only by those leading an assault but also by the sailors entrusted with dangerous supporting duties.

After the Civil War, Bazaar returned to civilian life. Details of his later career are not extensively preserved in the surviving historical record, but his Medal of Honor secured his place among the sailors recognized for exceptional service during the conflict.

As a Chilean-born immigrant who served in the Union Navy, Bazaar also represents the international backgrounds of the men who fought to preserve the United States. His service illustrates the important contributions made by foreign-born sailors to the Union war effort.

Philip Bazaar died on December 28, 1923, in New York City.

He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in New York, where his burial record identifies him under the surname Bazan, an alternate form of his name preserved in historical records.

His legacy remains closely connected to the final assault on Fort Fisher, one of the most important Union victories during the closing months of the Civil War.

On January 15, 1865, while serving as an ordinary seaman aboard USS Santiago de Cuba, Bazaar left his ship's protection and accompanied a small group carrying dispatches through intense fighting. He entered the Confederate fortress during the assault and continued performing his assigned duty despite the danger.

For his extraordinary courage during the Battle of Fort Fisher, Philip Bazaar received the Medal of Honor and earned a lasting place in the history of the United States Navy and the American Civil War.