North Carolina Coastal Defense System

History of Cape Fear Area during the Civil War

The Cape Fear River was lined with Confederate and other earlier fortifications. The primary ones were Fort Johston, located at Southport, and Fort Anderson, at Brunswick Town. The main defense shifted to Fort Holmes or Bald Head Point on Bald Head Island, and Oak Point on Oak Island where Fort Caswell was built. Begun in 1827, construction continued until 1838, and it was one of only three masonry forts in the state before the Civil War. It was named in 1833 for Richard Caswell, Continental Congressman, Revolutionary War officer, and the first Governor of the State of North Carolina. It was captured by the Confederates in 1861. There was once a citadel in the center. Built of stone and earthworks, the fort was partially destroyed in a mine explosion during the Civil War and was abandoned only when Fort Fisher fell in 1865.