United States forces attacked and captured North Carolina coastal defense Forts Hatteras and Clark at the end of August 1861. In the immediate aftermath of the successful expedition, Confederate coastal defenders were thrust into the untenable position of trying to hold a series of isolated outposts against superior naval forces. Currituck County native Captain Daniel McD. Lindsey gathered remnants of the 7th North Carolina volunteers (later designated the 17th NC State Troops 1st organization) at an uncompleted fort near Oregon Inlet. Several other junior officers and some naval officers joined with Lindsey in a council of war to determine the fate of such isolated coastal fortifications at Oregon Inlet and Portsmouth Island. Lindsey’s seven page report describes the actions and rationale behind the abandonment of those outposts. It also sets the stage for the intensified efforts to build the defenses of Roanoke Island.
Governor’s correspondence: Report from Captain Daniel McD. Lindsey on coastal defenses
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