The Fort Caswell You've Never Seen-- Part 2

The fort was named after former North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell.  It was built of  stone and earthworks and completed in 1836.  Located on the eastern tip of Oak Island, it juts out into the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean.  During the Civil War, it kept Union ships out and away and provided assistance to the famed blockade runners coming into and out of Wilmington.

When the state seceded from the Union, the Confederate Army occupied it as part of Wilmington's defense.

However, after the nearby Fort Fisher was captured after a massive Union assault on January 15, 1865, orders came to spike Fort Caswell's guns, burn the barracks and explode the magazines.

Jim McKee formerly worked for the National Park Service and the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport.  He is an author and contributor of articles  on archaeology,  artillery, the Civil War  and Colonial subjects.  He is nationally certified in 18th and 19th century artillery.

--Old B-Runner