The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-21

the United States Navy in 1861. anl
thereupon rendered his services 10 tG,'
Confederacy. He was given ,'onlHnInd
of the '.Oreto," afterwards recllristcliei
the FLORIDA" and cnttured nearly SIX
Is prizes. He also engaged in blockade
running. aud has left some entertaining
ami Amusing accounts of his experiences
republi,hed In Tales and Traditions OF
the Lower Cape Fears. by Mr.. Sprunt.
JAMES w. COOK. Il native of Car
teret county. \. c.. was captain Of
the Confederate ram "Albemarle." NJ
which incidental mention has already
been made Except when .the Eon-hcart
ed Sir Richard Grenvlc sailed his httie
craft. the Revenge" into il Spanish
feet of fifty.two ships ana fought il
single handed in the days of Good Queen
Bess. It Is doubtful il ever IL vessel
fought against greater odds tla% did
The ".Alicmarle." She WAS q hGne-rio-
duct. built in the Roanoke River hca
Scotland Neck North Carolina. aud ~
terwartls Heated down TO WILLIAMSON.
in Martin county. for completion. y hen
General Robert +. Eoke performed the
brilliant feat OF capturing Plymouth.
North Carolina. the Captain of the
- .ocnarlp" was directed by the Scrrr-
tarS of the Confederate Navy TO hold
h.msclf subject TO the orders OF tiin zen
eln1, who, when lie arrived at William
,tch. fushd the snip unfinished and vita
her nrfror completed only on one side.
'tn.s side. however. WIS wel-higEt II
vulnerable. being heavily encased il
railroad iron. When General liunc
rode VI he was in advance of his troops,
ard ACCOMPANIED only by staff officer
and courier. which led Captain Cook to
believe that his visit was something Ike
a tour OF inspection. Many were tine
complaints made by the Captain-tllat
his ship would not be tit for service in
six months. that he had no fuel for his
engines. ETC.. etc No sooner, however,
bad the General explained his mission
and declared that the ''Albemarle mu>E
go down the river if il went to the bot
tom with all on board, than Captain
Cooks dependence was changed to JOY.
He said he could drive out the entire
Federal fleet: and, as for fuel, he would
have il II he had to make kindiins OF
every house in the county, When the
time for action arrived, the "AlDemarle'
steamed down the river about 3 o'clock
at night, and first encountered two large
vessels which were chained together 10
inir,ept her. One OF these she savageiy
rammed and sent 10 the bottom, nearly
going with it before she could disentan
gle herself The other cut its chain
and sought safely IN flignt pursued by
the "Alhemarle." which fought at such
short range that one of the cnsaGy
own shells rcbounded from tEe Confed-
crate vessels side and killed the COM
handing officer Of the Federal feet. As
dawn drew near, other ships Of the
enemy appeared and the "AlbcmaIl e'
cleared the river ard harbor of no less
than fifteen. \ writer using the nom
dc plume Of dalton" whom Wheeler
quotes in his "reminiscences. says of
this fight: Never before had the SIZE
of such guns and the weight of their
crushing missiles been directed against
any single vessel. Yet she struggled
through it. having had the misfortune
to have carried away me-half OF one
Of the two guns She took into the action
She WAS literally lo8ded down by the
cnomy's shot and in this condition had
TO fight t. the end until she gained Il
rclt OF refuge.
During the IerilouS ordeal Capt. Cook
was calm and collected: no excitement
marked his conduct Quietly did he gave
his orders. and his men, partaking 81
his spirit, promptly and quietly obey,d.
Captain Cook was as modest i'll his
1eportment as he was brave and fear
less in action. Had such an eXplos
occurred under the English flag. Cook
would have ranked with the Nelson's and
Welingtons OF his age: but, a. it is, ne
sinks into obscurity, forgotten, almost.
b! his native State upon which he sned
such imperishablc honor He was then
in very delicate health, ami a.trr TINS
terrible conflict. never completely re-
covered again. Soon after the battle.
his brave spirit winged its flight. from
the bosom OF his family. in Portsmouth,
Virginia. to join the spirits o. his gal
lart comrades that had gone before him,
where merit is rewarded and not success
alone. as in this vale of scrrows.
The "Albcmarle'' survived its fight
al Plymouth and afterwards did good
service in the operations around New
Bern and elsewhere She WIS finally
blown up by Lieutenant Gushing when
nIost of ncr crew were absent and those
who remained We're not sufficiently on
the alert. About the close of the war
this rebel monster" as the awe-insEired
Northern papers called it. was pulled
up from the bottom of the river by the
Federal authorities and its smoke-stack
is now among the curiosities III the
North Carolina State Museum at Raj
eigh As one gazes on this relic. a feel
ing Of wonder is excited that the vessel
of which it was Il part, could have sur
vived as long as il did. There is scarce
~ Il space one foot square which does
not bear the marks of shells. Slid shot
and grape. \ more thoroughly riddled
fragment of sheet-iron would be hard
to find.
There was one class Of vessels which
was OF more service to the Confeder&ce
government than her cruisers and other
fighting craft. This class was composed
of ships known as blockade runners.
In his Tales mld Traditions OF the
Lower Cape Fear" Mr.. James Spruns,
of Wilmington. who himself was a ju-
Nor officer i'll the Notwithstanding SER
vice, gives some very entertaining ac-
counts Of these vessels and their exploits
and names ten or twelve whose wrecks
around Cape Fear now 'lie half buried
in the sands where they may remain for
centuries to come.
~