The flames that consumed Fort Johnston on July 18, 1775, marked more than the destruction of a military installation. They signaled the definitive end of British royal authority in North Carolina. This bold assault by Patriot militia forces, occurring just three months after the battles of Lexington and Concord, demonstrated that revolutionary fervor had spread far beyond New England. The attack on Fort Johnston stands as a pivotal moment in the American Revolution'ssouthern theater, revealing both the fragility of British colonial control and the determination of American patriots to seize their independence.