Military History from Murphy to Manteo

Statesville's Fort Dobbs, built in 1756, dates to the French and Indian War, and is oldest of North Carolina's colonial military sites. Alamance Battleground near Burlington tells the story of the War of a Regulation, a revolution before the American Revolution.

Fort Johnston near Southport was constructed by the British in 1749 to protect the area from Spanish attack and now is part of the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport.

Dive Deep Into North Carolina's Early History

Brunswick Town in Winnabow has connections to the War for Independence in addition to being the site of a colonial era Spanish attack, while House in the Horseshoe, near Sanford, was site of a significant Revolutionary War skirmish. 

Lake James State Park includes a two-mile section of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail from the Revolutionary War era. Part of Elk Knob State Park was the site of a battle between the British and Patriots during the Revolutionary War. 

Through 2017, we're commemorating North Carolina's colonial and Revolutionary War history with a special commemoration called It's Revolutionary.

Experience North Carolina's Revolutionary Spirit

You may not know that the Civil War truly ended not at Appomattox, but in Durham at Bennett Place, the site of the largest surrender of the Civil War. Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks was the location of North Carolina’s largest Civil War battle, and still serves as a site for study in tactics for Camp Lejeune Marines and Fort Bragg soldiers.

The largest American amphibian attack before World War II was seen at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach, and nearby Fort Anderson in Winnabow shares in this history in addition to Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and Carolina Beach State Park, both also in Kure Beach.

The Battle of Fort Macon was fought in Atlantic Beach at what’s now Fort Macon State Park during March and April 1862 at the onset of the Civil War and the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center preserves the remnants of one of the few remaining ironclad gunboats from the era .

Learn More About North Carolina's Civil War Story

Today a true Tar Heel landmark, the Battleship North Carolina was one of the most decorated U.S. ships of World War II, earning 15 battle stars and participating in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater.

On the homefront, Camp Davis was built north of Wilmington in Holly Ridge and Fort Fisher was part of that complex. What's now Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach was an anti-aircraft artillery training center and became the primary firing range. The Jones Lake area also was part of that training facility. 

The U.S. Army Signal Corps used Hanging Rock State Park for training in 1943 and the 92nd Medical Battalion did week-long trainings there that year.

Read More About World War II Places in North Carolina