Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-01-13
The Blowlng.Up Of the Albcmarlc.
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The destruction Of the rebel rain Albe
marie in the North Carolina waters. duriug
the war Of secession. was one of the most
desperate and remarkable enterprises of that
contest II was also the crowning achieve.
ment of the brave Commander Cushing.
who recently died at the insane hospital at
Washington, and who was barely twenty
years old at the time Of this great exploit, in
the autumn Of 1864. The affair is thus dc
scrbed in the Army and Nary Journal
" The Albemarle was an iron-clad of ire
mendous strength, which had already de-
feated the whole federal fleet, sunk the South
field, exploded the boiler of the Sassacus.
engaged nine foes at once without danger to
herself, forced the surrender Of a brigade,
and the abandonment Of the whole region Of
the Roanoke by the federal forces The
government having no iron-clads capable of
crossing Hattoras bar and encountering her,
all its operations in that section were ron
dered practically useless by the Albemarles
presence there. and the expense Of q squad
ron necessary 20 keep watch upon her move
msnts was something enormous
In this emergency Lieut.. Cushing submit
ted two plans 20 Admiral Lee for the rams
destruction. The admiral approved Of one
of them, and sent Us protector TO Washing
ton to lay IL before the secretary Of the navy,
and the latter, though at first a little doubt
full its merits, finally authorized him TO pro-
cure the means to carry il into execution
and he Immediately purchased in New York
two open launches, each about thirty feet
long. fitted with a small engine and propel-
led by screw carrying a howitzer, and
provided with long boom that swung 10y
hinge, which could be raised or lowered at
viii. and which had n torpedo in the groove
at its further extremity These boats were
taken down through the canals TO the Chcsa-
peake, one of them being lost on the way,
and the other reaching the sounds at last
through cuts and creeks and an inhuitudc of
tolls, hindrances, and mses. Joining the
fleet, which lay at the mouth of the river, the
lieutenant disclosed his object 10 his men, as
sufing them that they not only must not
expect, but they must not hope 10 return,
for death was almost inevitable, aud then
called for volunteers They all stood by
him, and six others presently joined them
Assistant Paymaster Frank Swan and Mr..
llowarth, who had often accompanied him
ON his most reckless adventures, being Of
the number. The Albemarle lay moored at
the Plymouth wharf, eight miles up the ri
yer, both banks Of which were lined with
batteries, and held by several thousand sol
diers, WHILE at some distance up. that por-
tion OF the wreck of the Southfield which
still lay above the water was occupied by
picket-guard, whose duty it was TO throw up
rockets on the first alarm, for. unknown to
the attacking party, rumor Of the intended
eudeavor had in some mysterious way al
ready reached the Plymouth authorities, and
every provision had been made for their re-
ception.
However, on the night Of the 27th OF Oc-
tober the little launch entered the Roanoke
river, her engine at low pressure, to make
the least noise possible, left behind all OBJ
structions passed within thirty feet of the
unsuspicious picket ON the Southfeld, and
approached the wharf where the ram lay, a
vast black mass in the darkness. Greatly
emboldened by this success, the lieutenant
for q moment resolved to change his plan,
and, knowing the town perfectly, to put in
shore and trust TO the effect Of night sur
prise, with which he was so well acquainted.
overpower those on board, get her into the
stream before the forts could be aroused, and
fight the batteries with her on her way down.
But lust as he was about 10 carry his sudden
plan into execution, a cry from the ram rang
out sharply on the night, repeated on every
side followed by the instantaneous booming
of the great guns from the ship and shore;
and returning no answer. the lieutenant put
ON all steam and made Tor her. At the same
moment an immense bonfire Of pine knots
and turpentine blazed up on the bank, most
fortunately for him. since it revealed directly
the untoward fact that boom Of legs ex-
tended around the ram in all directions TO
guard her from torpedoes, which for one
second seemed an insurmountable obstacle
Only for one second. though. With the
next the lieutenant had given orders to sheer
off across the stream, SO as to get room for
acquiring headway and carrying his launch
by the force OF its own impetus straight
across the boom, though it never could get
out again, he knew. As they turned, vol
ley Of buckshot tore away the whole back of
his coat and the sole of his shoe, and thema
by his side fell lifeless. Before the volley
could be repeated the launch had struck the
boom. was over and was forging up under
the Albemarle's quarter, directly beneath the
mouth of a riile-guu, and SO close that the
merest whisper ON board the ram, where
they were endeavoring to bring the gun to
bear could be distinctly heard.
That must have been a terrifcally eN
citing moment TO those on that little launch,
with the vast mountain of iron towering
above them, the file-lit mass of foes upon
the shore, and triumph and eternity in the
next moment. Lieut.. Cushing stood at the
bows of the launch, with several lines before
him; one of these lines was attached to the
howitzer one TO the ankle Of the engineer.
one TO the officer who was to lower the boom
carrying the torpedo, one was that by means
of which the torpedo was to be slid under
the ram, another was the exploding line,
which should pull away pin and let
grape-shot drop on the percussion-cap be
meath. The howitzer had already been dis
charged. The line attached to the engineer
was pulled the engine stopped. The boom
was lowered, the torpedo slid slowly off and
under the air-chamber at top bringing it up
in position beneath the ram. The last line
was pulled, the grape-shot fell Just as the
rile-gun went oif-and the rebel ram and
the launch blew up together, and columns of
water shot mp and fell again, heavy with
dead and dying But just as Lieut.. Gushing
pulled the exploding line he cried out to his
men to save themselves, and, throwing off
arms and heavy garments had struck out
into the water.
Amid a scene of great tumult Lieut.. Cush-
ing succeeded in reaching the shore, whence,
travelling through the swamps, he came to
creek, where he seized confederate boat
and by eleven o'clock the next night, had
made his way out to the steamer Valley City.
The gallant officer received for this daring
feat vote of thanks from Congress, and a
complimentary letter from the secretary Of
! the navy.