The port of Wilmington, North Carolina was a major source of supply for the Confederacy during the first half of the Civil War. It primarily took in manufactured and other goods from Europe and the rest of the world, making up for the South's lack of industrial capacity. However, the port's success was also its downfall as Union military leaders sought to close it permanently, although they faced Fort Fisher, a large bristle of armament on a long chain of fortifications. McCaslin (history, High Point U.) describes the sieges and battles that led to the decimation of the fortifications, and the eventual loss of the Wilmington Port that had once so ably served the cause of the South. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)