to abandon the original plan to block up Hatteras Inlet. In Federal hands it was no longer useful to the Confederacy, and in fact now allowed Union forces to pursue raiders into the sounds. Although they and their supporters continued to press the case for several weeks, it seems to have been unnecessary. The War and Navy Departments had already decided to retain possession of the inlet, which would be used as the entry point of an amphibious expedition against the North Carolina mainland early the next year. This campaign, known as Burnside's North Carolina Expedition for its senior Army commander Ambrose E. Burnside, completely removed the sounds as sources of commerce-raiding activity. Continued Federal possession of Hatteras Inlet was considerably aided by the Confederate authorities, who early decided that the Ocracoke and Oregon batteries were indefensible, so they were abandoned. Stringham's tactic of keeping his ships in motion while bombarding forts was used later by Flag Officer Samuel Francis Du Pont at Port Royal, South Carolina. The effectiveness of the practice led to a reconsideration of the value of fixed forts against naval gunnery. No physical evidence of the battle remains; however, the battlefield is preserved within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Notes Abbreviations used in these notes: ORA (Official records, armies): War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies. ORN (Official records, navies): Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. References Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series I: 27 volumes. Series II: 3 volumes. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894–1922. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I: 53 volumes. Series II: 8 volumes. Series III: 5 volumes. Series IV: 4 volumes. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1886–1901. Maury, Matthew F., The physical geography of the sea. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1855. Simson, Jay W., Naval Strategies of the Civil War: Confederate Innovations and Federal Opportunism. Nashville: Cumberland House Publishing, 2001. Stick, David, The Outer Banks of North Carolina, 1584–1958. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1958. Trotter, William R., Ironclads and Columbiads: the Civil War in North Carolina: The Coast. Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, 1989. CWSAC Report Update National Park Service Battle Summary External links Contemporary map: Hatteras Inlet Batteries Hatteras Inlet Batteries