Hatteras Inlet, defended by Forts Clark and Hatteras, was a strategic port of entry for troops and supplies that provided deep-water access to vital intercoastal waterways. In late May 1861, the Federal Blockade Board of Strategy began implementing General Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan to constrict the South's ability to wage war. Although North Carolina's coast was first dismissed as unimportant, it was soon recognized as the most dangerous stretch of shore in the Confederacy. Along the coast, lighthouses were blacked out, channel buoys were sunk, and forts were built to defend navigable inlets. After North Carolina joined the Confederacy, Hatteras became a principal port of privateering. With Cape Hatteras Lighthouse serving as a lookout tower, privateers moved freely through Hatteras Inlet, capturing dozens of ships and millions of dollars in cargo. As losses mounted, major Northern maritime insurance companies demanded the destruction of the so-called nest of pirates and smugglers at Hatteras. In response to public and corporate outcry, and seeking an easy victory, the United States Navy authorized the war's first joint military operation. After two days of naval bombardment, Hatteras and its defenses fell on August 29, 1861.