...Oak Island, below Caswell, and an expedition via Southport, or by march from Kingston or Newbern, the enemy's cavalry having occupied the line as far as New Hope, in Onslow; or, again, by attack upon Caswell or Fort Fisher. Its preservation was a source of deep anxiety. It was in fact, the second capital of the Confederacy. Here the wharves were lined with the swift, narrow, smoke-colored, blocka...