Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-11-24
The AlbemaFle AffaiT-The Details of the Sink
~ ing of the Rebel Ran.s

/ From the Goldsboro On. O. Journal, Nov. l.
On Thursday night last, or rather about
two o'clock on the morning Of Friday last, a
daring attempt was made by party of eleven
| officers of the Yankee navy to blow up, with
| torpedoes, the iron-clad ram Al6ea,a7le, at
Plymouth, and TO some extent the attempt
was successful.
We are not in possession of what we con-
slider the authentic details, but the following
seem to be the facts:
| The Abenarje was moored near the wharf
gangway connecting her with the shore
Some distance down the river, in the stream,
| lay the hull Of the .Soathfeld, sunk there bv
Captain Cook when Plymouth was captured
from the Yankees The SOuth1feld was used
as picket station BY our infantry forces. to
| which they passed to and from the shore bya
| boat, and this boat was usually kept at the
| Soathteld
Thursday night was very dark and stormy.
In the darkness and storm, at the hour stated,
| the Yankee expedition surprised, it is said,
the Southfeld picket station and captured all
the pickets, twenty-five in number, without
firing gun, and sent them down The river
to the feet below in their own boat The
vessel used for the Yankee expedition was a
long, low steamer, or torpedo boat, propelled
by steam or by muffled oars. Having dis
posed of the pickets quietly, the Yankees
crossed to the side of the river opposite to
Plymouth, and, sweeping round, came upon
the AbenaarIe from up the stream. Our in
formant, who says he was on the A56en1arle
at the time as a visitor, and was somewhat
injured by the explosion of the torpedo, says
that in consequence Of the darkness and the
noise Of the storm, the watch on the -ABe
marie knew nothing of the approach of the
enemy till he was close upon them. The
boat was hailed, "What boat is that 2" The
reply was, "The ABenlarlSS boat :" and at
this moment the AUemaY1e was struck by the
Yankee boat, on the starboard quarter. In
this attempt, it is thought, the Yankees failed
to blow up the ABenaayle through defect
in the torpedo. -EEf
They Immediately swung round their boat
again and were coming down upon the 41lbe-
m0rle's bow, when they were again asked,
"What boat is that ?" The reply was "You
will damned soon see" and on the instant the
Abemarle was struck the torpedo exploded
By this time the alarm was general through
out the ship, and the men rushed to arms and
made for the outside armor, where they were
met by one or two volleys of grape from a
hOwitzer in the Yankee boat. The ADenarlGS
men commenced a rapid fire all around
the ship, but they could see nothing Of the
enemy in consequence of the darkness 1t
WAS soon now ascertained that the torpedo
had had the intended effect, for one of the
bows of the -1Bensay1e was stove in and she
was rapidly settling down
In the meantime the Yankees, in their con-
fusion got their boat in the midst of some logs
fixed around the ABenarle for her protec-
ton, and being unable to extricate her, the
whole party, with the exception of the Cap
tain in command, surrendered, torpedo-boat,
and all. L
So far as we can learn, none of the crew of
the ABenaarle suffered more than few slight
wounds. Three of the Yankees are said to
have been wounded. They are reported to be
all commissioned and non-commissioned Off
GERS, volunteers for this daring undertaking.
The ABenarle went down in a few minutes;
but the water being shallow, her portfolios
are not submerged, and though her gun-deck
is a few inches under water, her guns still
command the channel up and down. The in
jury she sustained can be repaired in two or
three weeks, including the raising of the YES
sci.
The foregoing is our version of this affair,
deduced from the several different state
ments. 1t is creditable affair to the Yam
KEGS, and seems to be quite the reverse to
the Confederates. We await further details
before we Indulge in any stri ctures.