The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-05-13
THE ALBEMARLE." !"
HEB HISTORY AND FATE.
A Short Chapter Of War Record.

/
/ Following is the address by Comradt
B. F. Loyal at a banquet in Norfolk
Jan. 19, 1897, by the Pickett Buchanan
Camp of Confederate Veterans in honor
of r. E. Lees birthday:
Commander and Comrades =
Your excellent committee could not
have selected more striking example
to illustrate perseverance in overcom.
ing difficulties and hard-fghting, de-
termined valor, than the little ship CAL.
bemarle" commanded by Capt. James
w. Cooke. He was North Carolinian
and it was with a North Carolina ship
and upon North Carolina waters that
he displayed his heroic qualities. He
was one of a number OF Naval officers
who left the U. S. Navy, with hardly a
hope that they would ever tread the
deck of Confederate ship of war be-
ing willing to give their services wher-
ever they could be used in their coun-
try's defence.
After Burnside had captured Roanoke
Island and taken control of the salt wa
ter region OF North Carolina, our Gov
ernment, encouraged by the destructive
work Of the Merrimac, devised to get
afoat two iron clad vessels to send out
into the Sounds, and In concert with
the Army, to rescue that whole region
from the enemy. Experience had
taught that to put gun on an old
steamboat and call it by the high
sounding name of gup boat did not an
swer in contending with the U. S. Ma
Wy. In 1862 the Confederate Govern
ment entered into contract with citi-
zens of North Carolina for the construc-
ton of two iron clad vessels, one on the
Roanoke and one on the Neuse river.
One of the foremost and most enter
prising citizens who devoted his energy
and business talent towards the con-
struction of the "Albemarle" was Gil
bert Elliott, brother of our comrade,
Capt. Chas. G. Elliott. These patriot
ic citizens had never built anything
but fiat boats, but with the aid and ad-
vice of an intelligent Naval officer, they
worked ahead. The "Albemarle" was
built in a corn field, from the timber
growing near by and with black
smith shop for manufacturing plant,
while the engine of large saw mill
wes altered and made to serve for her
propelling power. Capt. Cooke was in
defatigable in urging on the work and
ransacked the country for the iron
from the Tredegar works as far down
as Wilmington, until he used to be
called "Capt. Ironmonger." To vamp
up anything to convert it into boat
or bar afforded him infinite delight.
I happened to be ordered to COM
mand the ship building on the Mouse
river sometime after the career OF the
"Albemarle." To give you some idea
of the difficulties in the way OF getting
ship OF war built and ready for SER
vice, General Hoke, who had few equals
for da1lng and dash and military skill,
was so deeply interested in the compile
ton of my little vessel, that he made
two trips to Richmond and brought
back with him in his trunk certain au-
gers and other tools necessary to carry
on the work. Not long after had got
ten the crew on board, it was about the
middle OF June, one day l received an
application, in the form of round
robin, from twenty odd of the crew to
20 home and harvest. It was some
thing new to me and not in my power
to grant, but the next day the boat
swaln-the only seaman I had in the
crew-came to me with his hat off and
asked in the most respectful and inter
ested manner, if it was true that lot
of the men had applied for leave to go
home to harvest. I told him they had
applied. He said nothing. put on his
hat, went forward and never saw him
again. He deserted that night and
went away to join the enemy. He
could not stand the hay makers. His
name was Donnard, an Englishman,
a valuable seaman, full of fight, and
nv main reliance. One of the many
difficulties in the way of getting con-
federate ship ready for good service IN
the war, was the scarcity OF trained Of
ficers. Capt. Parker, in his "Recollec-
ton of Naval Officer, said that a
Lieutenant on board one of the gun
boats made the following entry in the
Log Book:
.rhe moon was on the port bow and
the wind had starboard."
What became of that iron clad vessel
on the Neuee is another story and of
little interest.
Capt. Cooke had been in command
of one of those terrible little gun boats