During late January, 1862, a Federal land-sea expedition assembled at Hatteras Inlet to take Roanoke Island and capture control of the North Carolina Sound region under the joint command of General Ambrose Burnside and navy Flag-Officer Louis Goldsborough. After several delays due to bad weather, the Union fleet, consisting of numerous troop transports and more than 20 war vessels, arrived at the southern end of Roanoke Island. On February 7, 1862, Federal warships bombarded Fort Bartow, the southernmost of the Confederate defenses, and although the fort returned fire, it had little effect. The Confederate fleet, under Captain W.F. Lynch, waited behind a line of obstructions placed in Croatan Sound to retard the Federal advance, but after a sharp engagement ended only by darkness, it was forced to retire for lack of ammunition. On February 8, 1862, the Federal fleet bombarded various positions on Roanoke Island in support of General Burnside’s land offensive. After the Union victory that afternoon, a detachment of Federal ships under Commander S. C. Rowan was sent into Albemarle Sound in pursuit of the Confederate fleet, and Union forces then controlled most of the inland waters of northeastern North Carolina.