The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-12-24
FORT AND FLEET.
The Grea, righ, in the Sound.
NJ. Quad. Detroit Free Press.

NJ. t.IIAa. ttrNOU re t-icsS.
 While the fight between the Monitor and Merrimae. Alabama and the Hat teras, kearsage and the Alabama brough, ou, some terrific fighting ard proved thai Anerican pluck had lost none of its ar dor since the days of Paul Jones. the af far with the confederate ram. Albcmarle of the mouth of the Roanoke river on the Sth of May. 1865. may be set down as the bravest and most determined action between vessels afoat in any war for the las, hundred years. Nothing in the na- val history of Europe approaches Ii. and circumstances will never bring about an other such action on this side of the ocean.
 When the keel of the Albemarle WAS lad the confederacy was hard up for money. had lost all hopes of foreign in- ,erfention, and thousands 0! is soldiers were discouraged. The work of building such eraf, al that tune was an immense -undeftakiny,. and even in se,ni-offic,ai eIroies II was not believed tha, she would ever be finished.
 First and last c.ooo men were engaged in her construction. Two of those men
 
 three or four m Cincinnati, and one or Rore can be found in almost any city in the south. Whatever faults had been pointed ou; m other rams were avoided m the Albemarle. The one great diff culiy with the confederate rams and iron olads was in finding engines with suffi- cent power to drive them al respectable speed. For two yeats there were two iron-clads In Charleston harbor which could not be driven a foot when both wind and tide were against them. The engines provided for the Albemarle were powerful enough to give her speed of twelve miles an hour. she was easily handled with one man at the wheel.
 The material for the ram was gathered Som all points of the eonfederaey. and outside of the work of detailed soldiers and men furnished by the contractors. there were employed some of the most skilled mechanics that gold could induce to take hold. Instead of hurrying to get her afloa,. the work progressed so slowly tha. an official investigation was de- handed. However, when afloat and armed, the Albemarle was, without doub, the most perfect craft of the sort ever constructed. There was no par, of the bull above water which was not defended by thickness of a, leas, twelve inches of iron and backing, and at certain points there was an armor eighteen inches thick
 The ram was armed with two of the heaviest Brooke guns, so mounted that each one constituted broadside The oenvenlences for serving these guns were aenirable, and in addition to gunners and working crew she carried about fifty Iifemen. who were so posted tha, their fire could be trained into the ports of an antagonist. Her screw wheel was sunk 90 as to be out of reach of shot, and her stem was so s;outly constructed that she would have been able to open I gap in the side of the s,outest iron-clad in the urion navy.
 |, was expected of the Albemarle tha, she would destroy the union flee, in the Sound and then proceed to Charleston and raise the blockade. Under such a commander as Semmes she would have accomplished more than she did, even if ta-.lng to carry out the programme planned for her
 There was fleet of eight federal gum boats in the Sound, and the appearance of the Albemarle was daily looked for long enough before she hove in sight. Deserters had reported her construction. armament, draught and power of engines, and every preparation had been made for a terrific fight. Admiral Lee had re- oeived general instructions from the sec retaYy of the navy, and had issued partic- ular instructions to his fleet.
 il is feiaied of brigadier general that he once send out two companies of men er reconnaissance with instructions ito develop Lees army and bag it.r Ad- miral Lee seemed to have an idea that the Albemarle was coming down the river on purpose to be bagged. One of his in- ssractions was for vessel to get on either side of the ram and hold her fast and fire al the center of her ports. It didn't oc- cur to him that the ram might object and he further suggested that it would be a good idea to throw some bags of pow tier or shell down the smoke sacks. sThe advantage of getting alongside said the admiral, land on each side of her is that you prevent her from ramming and have a controlling fire upon her roof and po1s." He likewise thought it would b< a good plan for some of the gun-boafs tc s'sink her by ramming. or mount he. ends and sink her. There was one okhez funny thing in the admirars plan to over. poxef this monster. Each gun-boat wa, provided with an enormous 6sh net oI