Fort Macon was a brick and stone fort constructed in the 1820s on the eastern end of an Outer Bank Island to guard the Beaufort Inlet and Beaufort Harbor, the only deep-water ocean port in the Tarheel State. Two days after the outbreak of the War Between the States, troops of the North Carolina militia seized Fort Macon and in the following year, the Confederate soldiers positioned fifty-four heavy cannons on the fort.

the War
Between
the States

Fort Macon,
North Carolina
25^th April 1862

This descriptive sign is on the Outer Banks Island that Fort Macon is located on.

The sally port was the main entrance to the fort and in this photograph is on the far left corner of the parade ground or inner court yard.

The covertway on the top of the outer wall provided an outer line of defense for Fort Macon and most of the cannon emplacement are original. The avenues between the walls could be flooded to provide additional obstacles for an attacking force.