One of the earliest strandings of friendly steamers near New Inlet, or
Cape Fear main bar, was that of the _Modern Greece_, which was also
the most important and interesting. On the morning of the 27th of
June, 1862, at 4.15 o'clock the _Modern Greece_ had safely evaded many
Federal cruisers and was within three miles of Fort Fisher, headed
for New Inlet, when she was seen by one of the Federal blockaders,
the _Cambridge_, which immediately gave chase and pelted the _Modern
Greece_ with bombshells. The _Cambridge_ was joined by the Federal
cruiser _Stars and Stripes_, which also opened fire on the _Modern
Greece_, the latter being then run ashore to avoid capture, her crew
escaping in their boats to the shore. In the meantime Fort Fisher was
firing at the enemy and also at the _Modern Greece_ where she was
stranded, in order to prevent the Federals from hauling her off. The
crew of the _Modern Greece_ was in great peril during this bombardment,
as part of her valuable cargo consisted of a thousand tons of powder
for the Confederacy and many guns. The garrison at Fort Fisher
subsequently landed a large amount of clothing and barrels of spirits,
and the spirits flowed like water for several weeks to the scandal
of the fort and its defenders. Its potent influence was also felt in
Wilmington. The _Modern Greece_ was a large British propeller of about
1,000 tons net register, one of the largest blockade runners of the
war. She now lies deep in the sand near Fort Fisher.