The age-herald., 1898-07-10
CUSHING'S AND
 HOBSON'S DEEDS
BY KNAPP ?. REInoN.


 Many stories have been printed since Lieutenant Richmond P. Hobson's daring feat at the entrance of Santiago harbor, de. seribing the brave act of Lieutenant ". B. l Gushing at Plymouth North Georgia. on the night of October 2s 1884 One or two of the stories 1 have read were fairly ac- curate, while several were absolutely uns true l have been permitted to read the journal of an ex-confederate describing the act, and the methods adopted by Cush- ing to accomplish his design, I have also examined sketches made by the gentleman within twenty-four hours. after the de- struction of the vessel. I have also had the pleasure of examining sketches of the Albermarle and her surroundings, made by Gushing the week before her destruction, when disguised a farm lad he entered Plymouth, selling vegetables and garden truck to the soldiers, and at the same time storing his active brain with data, which subsequently, enabled him to success- fully carry out his well laid plans.
 There was nothing to prevent Cushing from going to the wharf, where the Alber% marie anchored. The country people and the citizens generally were not pre- vented from going down to point of anchor- age, and subsequent events go to show that Cushing made good use of his time by making sketches of the exact position of the ship with all her surroundings, and the best and most effective way to bring about her destruction.
 The Albermarle was built at a place called Edwards Ferry ,on the Roanoke river, thirty miles below Weldon, North Georgia. She was 16O feet long and about 50 feet wide. Her shield octagonal in form, and was covered with several lay- CTS of two inch iron. Her armament con- sisted of two one-hundred Brooke guns of the English rifle pattern, mounted on revolving carriages and arranged to man three ports each.
 While in port, the ship was always ana chored at the receiving wharf below the custom house; the only water protection she had, was continuous line of cypress booms about three feet in diameter. chained together and anchored about twen- ty yards from the vessel on the water side; there were two-twelve pound Napoleons al- ways in battery, on the wharf, one at each end of the ship. Those guns were in charge of attachments from the Montgom- cry True Blues Alabama artillery.
 
 The old tram" had been annoying the federal fleet at anchor in the Albermarle sound no little, and the officer in com- mand of that district was very anxious to effect her destruction. Young Cushing, with daredevil reputation, was selected, at his. own request, to put into execution, a scheme he had conceived, which if success full would not only destroy the Albermarle, but would put the federal army in com- plete possession of the entire Eastern North Carolina district. As before stated he en- tered Plymouth in disguise and gained in- formation which subsequently, enabled him to destroy the old ship, and that with prac- tically very little risk.
 In order to understand how easily Cush- ing succeeded in reaching the vessel with out earlier detection, one must be familiar with the topography of the country. The Roanoke river at Plymouth is at least a quarter of a mile wide; there is strip of dense cypress swamp separating Middle river from Roanoke, at the time of night selected by Cushing to make his dash, the large cypress trees would throw shad- dow to the middle of the stream at least. The night selected was dark, rain was fall- ing sufficiently heavy to make sentinelS hunt shelter. Cushing, accompanied by eight men manning a. torpedo launch, passed the outer picket, stationed on the sunken steamer "Southfeld," one mile be- low Plymouth, about 1 o'clock at night, and came slowly up, close to shore and un- der the deep shadow of the overhanging cypress, until he reached a point immedi1 ately opposite the Albermarle; then chang ing direction at a right-angle, he came bow on, under full head of steam. The cypress boom was covered with slime, and consequently, when his keel struck the line he went over it easily.
 Cushing was standing in the bow with the torpedo boom haliard in one hand, and the exploding line in the other Just after going the bomb he dropped the spar and exploded the torpedo just aft of the bow gun of the Albermarle, and she went down in thirty minutes in about ten feet of water.
 Some of the stories declare that Cushing strategic shrd emf ov cmfw vb mfrd fw went to his work under heavy discharge of shot and she'll that statement is not cor- rect as he took the confederates almost by surprise there were not exceeding dozen shots fired at him from both large and small guns. have always contended that his trip into the town in disguise was the more hazardous undertaking of the two. The detachment at one of the guns sta- toned on shore had built low fire, but sufficiently bright to give Cushing a com- plete outline of his intended victim. Im- mediately after the explosion, the launch crew jumped overheard some were cap- luieu, but tHe Bdildit SuSHiHS anu tWO otH- CTS escaped and two gentlemen now resi- dents of Birmingham followed Cushing for two days. and came capturing him twice.
 Hobson's story is told in a few worlds he entered harbor thicky planted with tor pedoes of modern construction and went squarely in the face of Moro castle with several well defended batteries on the shore line pouring broadside after broadsde into him, to say nothing of the probable result of the detonation of the immense torpedoes on his own vessel which he had no posi- tive assurance would not bloY himself and his gallant crew to kingdom come In my judgment, if what we hear be true about Hobsons daring feat, the destruction of the Albermarle by Cushing is not to be compared to the sinking of the Merrmac in the channel at the mouth of Santiago