Fort Caswell Fort Caswell is accessible by the public to a limited extent per the conditions set forth by the Director, North Carolina Baptist Assembly. Now utilized as a Christian retreat and conference center, during the Civil War it defended Confederate positions on the North Carolina coast. Subsequently, it served as an army training ground in World War I and as a patrol communications base in World War II. Thus its forts and batteries provide opportunities to view and connect with a significant part of US history. Also a part of the Fort Caswell Historic District but located further west in the Caswell Dunes area is the Fort Caswell Rifle Range used by WW I soldiers for target practice. "Brunswick County in the Great War" published in 2020 contains a 25 page section with numerous rifle pit photos and diagrams along with biographic sketches of all known Brunswick County NC WW I service members.