at his disposal, a number often reduced by sickness. Furthermore, many of the men were poorly armed militiamen. The disparity between necessity and reality persuaded Branch to draw his lines in, abandoning some of the strong breastworks erected by his predecessor. The principal defense would be the line based on Fort Thompson. The Fort Thompson line that had been set up by General Hill extended only from the river to the railroad. They ended on the right in a brickyard that would figure prominently in the fighting. Because the land farther to the right was fairly firm and would allow his position to be flanked, General Branch decided to extend the line beyond the railroad and end it in a swamp. This just about doubled the length of the defensive line. He made a major blunder in laying out the line, however. In haste to complete the extension and faced with an exasperating shortage of labor, he decided to use a small creek as a natural part of the line. This creek intersected the railroad at a point some 150 yards (135 meters) up from the brickyard. The line of breastworks therefore had a dogleg in its center. Opposing forces Union Confederate The confederate defenses included 4000 men behind temporary defenses. The confederate defenders were common infantry, cavalry, and artillery from North Carolina. They were led by Brig. Gen. Lawrence Branch. The Confederate defenders armed themselves with ten cannons from two artillery batteries. Additional confederate defenses included river obstructions in the Neuse river. Forts including Lane, Ellis, Allen, Thompson, and Dixie served as defenses to protect the area. Two entrenchments were also dug as defenses along the land routes of the West Bank. The Confederates suffered 68 deaths, 116 wounded, and 425 captured or missing. Out of all the cannons, only two were saved. All the confederate soldiers lost their equipment during the battle. Battle Advance The soldiers of the Coast Division clambered into their transports at Roanoke Island on March 11, 1862 and got under way early the next morning, accompanied by 14 Navy gunboats and one gunboat of their own. One of the Navy vessels was detached to guard the mouth of the Pamlico River, where it was incorrectly rumored that the Rebels were preparing two ships to cut off transports that might become separated from Navy protection. The main force traversed Pamlico Sound, entered the Neuse River,