In 1745, Governor Gabriel Johnston ordered construction of Fort Johnston, the first fortification in North Carolina colony, to begin. In 1775, American patriots captured and burned the fort in what was the first Revolutionary War aggression against the British in North Carolina. The fort was rebuilt between 1794 and 1809, but in 1825 the completion of Fort Caswell made it the focal point of coastal defense in the area. During the Civil War Fort Johnston contributed to the defense of Confederate Fort Fisher.