On this date 150 years ago, the Union expeditionary force at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, landed troops under fire. Confederate batteries attempted to prevent a Federal takeover of the area, without success. The rebels had established two positions, Fort Clark and Fort Hatteras, but abandoned the former, enabling the Union to occupy it with no reseistance. The following days saw the surrender of Fort Hatteras, which sustained considerable damage from Federal batteries. There were few casualties among Union or Confederate troops. The successful takeover by the Federals of this strategic point on Hatteras Inlet gave the North an important advantage in its efforts to crush the blockade-runners, since the area commands control of an important route used by those Confederate vessels. The blockade was rapidly becoming one the North's best strategies in the war.