Then It Became Civilized

Six days before his birthday Captain Ezra Lewis Moore, U.S. Army, was detailed to the staff of Joseph C. Abbott. As the battle for Fort Fisher was winding down, Capt. Moore and another officer were walking down towards the Mound Battery when they were approached by Confederate Major James Reilly. Maj. Reilly indicated to his subordinates that he would surrender the fort to the first Union officer he met. Capt. Moore made sure that his commander, Gen. Alfred H. Terry, received credit for the surrender and for the title, “The Hero of Fort Fisher.” After the war ended, Ezra worked for the American Emigrant Company in New York. He was the personal secretary for Joseph Roswell Hawley for the Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876. Ezra was a farmer in Framingham, Mass., and was elected to the Massachusetts legislature. In October 1893, Ezra sent a query to the Mayor of Wilmington, indicating that he wanted to return Maj. Reilly’s sword. Major Reilly died about a year after his beloved sword was returned to him. Ezra died in 1911.