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Operations of the Albemarle

In the spring of 1864 the Confederate authorities at Richmond resolved to recapture Plymouth, North Carolina, which was garrisoned by a force of 2,400 men under General H. W. Wessells. The Confederate general, R. F. Hoke, was placed in command of a division to attack Plymouth and was to be assisted by Captain J. W. Cooke with the formidable ram

Albemarle, an ironclad similar to the Merrimac, carrying two heavy guns. Hoke's division proceeded to the vicinity of Plymouth, surrounded the place, drove in Wessells' pickets on April 17, and prepared to storm the works as soon as the Albemarle drove off the Union vessels protecting the place. On the 18th the Albemarle left Hamilton, passed down the Roanoke, ran over the obstructions placed in the river and past the heavy shore batteries, and at 3 A. M. on the 19th discovered the Union gunboats Miami and Southfield about half a mile below the town. Captain C. W. Flusser in command of the two vessels had lashed them together with long spars, with chains festooned be

tween them, it being his intention to get the Albemarle between the two vessels. The Albemarle avoided this, however, by running close to the southern shore and then, suddenly turning toward the middle of the river, rammed and sank the Southfield. The Albemarle's prow became entangled with the Southfield, upon which the Miami, ranging alongside, opened with her heavy guns; but unfortunately a shell fired by Flusser himself struck the Albemarle's armor, rebounded and exploded, a part of the shell instantly killing Flusser. Lieutenant French then took command and attempted to board the Albemarle but was repelled, whereupon the Miami withdrew from the contest and ran down into Albemarle Sound. The next day (the 20th) the Albemarle opened fire upon the forts and works near the river, while Hoke attacked from the land side. After several repulses Hoke captured the works and Wessells surrendered his entire command. In killed, wounded and captured the Union loss was 2,834, but

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the Confederate loss is not definitely known.

Soon after the capture of Plymouth, Hoke was ordered to the Army in Virginia, a Confederate force being left, however, to hold Plymouth with the aid of the Albemarle. Several schemes had been considered for the destruction of the boat, but the Albemarle did not wait to be attacked and, on May 5, ran down the river with two other vessels with the intention of sweeping both Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds of the Union fleet. Her attendants were the transports Cotton Plant and the captured steamship Bombshell. Captain Melancthon Smith in command rapidly got the Union fleet under way, the flag ship Mattabesett leading and the Sassacus and the rest of the fleet followingin all 8 vessels carrying 32 guns and 23 howitzers. The undaunted ironclad, however, came on with her two guns and engaged the entire Union fleet. The Cotton Plant was ordered back out of danger and the Bombshell was retaken, but the Albemarle sturdily held her own. The battle began at 4:45 P. M. when the Albemarle fired two damaging shots into the Mattabesett and then tried to ram her, but the Union vessel evaded the blow and poured a broadside into the ironclad. The Sassacus and other vessels then came up, shot away the boats of the Albemarle, shattered many of her plates and disabled her aft gun, but otherwise the concentrated fire of the Union fleet had little effect, and Lieu

tenant Commander F. A. Roe of the Sassacus made a spirited effort to run down the Albemarle. Drawing off about 200 yards he put on a full head of steam and rushed upon the Albemarle at a speed of 10 knots an hour. The formidable ram fairly staggered under the blow, the Sassacus having struck her just abaft the casemate on the starboard side. The Albemarle, however, continued the fight and sent a 100-pound Parrott shot through the boiler of the Sassacus, disabling her engine and 16 men and filling the vessel with scalding steam. Accordingly she slowly dropped out of the fight and the battle was temporarily suspended because the shooting away of the Albemarle's flag gave the impression that she had surrendered and because one of the Union boats reported herself as sinking. The Albemarle then steamed back to Plymouth where she lay practically inactive until the night of October 27.*

The destruction of the Albemarle was the work of Lieutenant William B. Cushing. He secured two launches at the Brooklyn navy yard, each carrying a 12-pound howitzer and a torpedo, and manned by a band of torpedo, and manned men well armed with revolvers and hand grenades. Passing near the

Nicolay and Hay, Life of Lincoln, vol. x., pp. 38-44; Naval War Records, vol. ix.; Edgar Holden, The Sassacus and the Albemarle, in Magazine of History, vol. v., pp. 267-273 (1907); Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 625-633; Maclay, History of the Navy, vol. ii., pp. 523-530; Soley, The Blockade and the Cruisers; Confederate Military History, vol. xii., pp. 81-85; vol. iv., pp. 222

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pickets on the shore, Cushing, at 3 A. M. of October 27, approached the Albemarle and was hailed and fired upon from the shore and the vessel. Discovering a circle of logs around the ship about 10 feet from it, he drew back and, when 100 feet away, made a rush, struck the logs at full headway, slid over them and, in the face of a galling fire, exploded a torpedo under the vessel, thus tearing a large hole in her and sinking her. Cushing

and his men then took to the water, he and one or two others escaping, while two were drowned and 11 were captured. On October 31 Commodore Macomb with his fleet went by way of Middle River into the Roanoke and engaged the batteries on shore. After a spirited engagement a shot exploded a Confederate magazine, whereupon the Confederates hastily evacuated their works and the Union forces took possession of the town.*

The successful operations of the navy in closing the ports of Savannah, Charleston and Mobile had reduced the Confederates to a single port of entrance for blockade-runners — the harbor of Wilmington, North Carolina, a city situated on Cape Fear River about 28 miles from the sea. The southern entrance to the harbor was protected by Fort Caswell and

* Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 634-642; Nicolay and Hay, Life of Lincoln, vol. x., chap. ii.; Naval War Records, vols. ix.-x.; Soley, The Blockade and the Cruisers; Maclay, History of the Navy, vol. ii., pp. 531-538: J. P. Frothingham, Running the Gauntlet. The Daring Exploits of Lieutenant Cushing.

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The

the northern by Fort Fisher. latter fort was one of the most formidable earthworks on the Atlantic coast and was built to withstand the heaviest artillery fire. Its parapets were 25 feet thick with an average height of 20 feet, and the fort contained 44 heavy guns with a garrison, at the close of 1864, of 1,400 men under command of Colonel William Lamb. To watch the port of Wilmington required a vast armada and the Navy Department and President Lincoln had constantly urged the military authorities to join in an expedition for its capture, so that the vessels watching it might be released for other duties. Accordingly, late in the autumn of 1864, a large fleet under Admiral D. D. Porter and a military force under Benjamin F. Butler were sent against it. Porter's fleet of about 150 vessels left Hampton Roads on December 13, 1864, and arrived in sight of the fort on the 20th. As a preliminary to the attack an old steamer, the Louisiana, was loaded with 215 tons of powder which was to be exploded under the walls of the fort. At 1:40 A. M. of December 24 without notifying Butler the Louisiana was towed to within 300 yards of the fort, but when the powder was exploded no damage was done. At daylight the fleet ran in, and at 11 o'clock opened a furious fire which continued for several hours without material damage and was responded to with spirit and effect. On Christmas Day the bombardment was renewed and

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and deeming an attack inadvisable reëmbarked the men and returned to the James River to assist in the siege of Petersburg. In this attack Porter's fleet lost 83 men killed and wounded and the Confederates 58 killed and wounded.

The President was deeply disappointed by the failure to take the fort and a second expedition was organized. On January 13, 1865, 8,000 men under General A. H. Terry were landed, and at 3:30 P. м. the fleet began a furious bombardment which was continued the next day, causing a loss to the garrison of about 200 men and silencing many of the guns. A combined naval and military attack was planned for the 15th and 1,600 sailors and 400 marines were landed to coöperate with the army. At 9 A. M. on that day the fleet opened fire and continued it until 3 P. M., when the signal was given for the land assault. Armed with cutlasses and pistols, the naval column charged the right flank or sea face of the work, reached its foot, and those in advance began to climb the parapet, but the Confederates repulsed them and the entire body retreated in disorder with a loss of 82 killed and 269 wounded. The army was more successful. Advancing on the left flank or land face of the work, it forced a lodgment and after a hard struggle carried the entire work, capturing about 2,000 men with a loss of about 900. The total loss in the army and navy was 266 killed, 1,018 wounded and 57 missing, while the