Complete the following sentence: North Carolina was an important area to the Confederacy because of the vital seaport of Wilmington and because the Outer Banks were valuable bases for ships attempting to evade the Union blockade. Benjamin Butler sailed from Fort Monroe and captured the batteries at
Hatteras Inlet in August 1861. 1862, Brig. Gen. Ambrose Burnside organized an amphibious expedition, also from Fort Monroe, that captured Roanoke Island, a little-known but important Union strategic victory. The Goldsboro Expedition in late 1862 marched briefly inland from the coast to destroy railroad tracks and bridges.<unk> The Goldsboro Expedition in late 1862 marched briefly inland from the coast to destroy railroad tracks and bridges.<unk> The Goldsboro Expedition in late 1862 marched briefly inland from the coast to destroy railroad tracks and bridges.