Fort Branch is a historic archaeological site near Hamilton in eastern North Carolina, built in 1862 for the Confederate States Army. Set about 70 feet above a bend in the Roanoke River, it gave defenders a commanding view of Union gunboats approaching from downstream. As an earthen fortification, it relied on the landscape for protection and observation rather than masonry walls. Its defenses were strengthened again in the middle to late months of 1864, showing its continued military value during the Civil War. The site was later restored and gained formal recognition in 1973 when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.