The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1913-02-13

the onfederates cut her retreat of
They shot her pilot and those win
Eattempted to steer or control ne
land thus forced her surrender. Th'
Cotton Plant took the hint from tn
sinking and capture .of the Bomb
i shell and went back up the river
In the beginning the Albemarle onl!
had two guns and soon after the en-
gagement begun one of these was 81
disabled that it was rendered useless
and put out of commission so thai
the ram had only one gun that coulG
be used during the engagement; bu,
she used this gun with telling effect
| for as the Federal warships circled
around her and poured broadside
after broadside into her, she would
answer with a single shot which
generally disabled the assaulting ship
and sent her down the sound and in
the rear of of the line Of battle We
feared the Federal warships would
run the Albemarle down as they
found a line and began approaching
her, but we soon discovered that
! they were simply pouring shot and
shell upon the iron side of the ram
to no effect. In the entire fight the
ram did not receive any serious da-
mage. Her smoke stack was shot
away, but in the end of the engage
ment she turned away and slowly
steamed back into the Roanoke river
and not single Federal Warship
followed her. Night soon clothed
everythingin darkness, and we re-
turned home feeling pleased, and
that the Albemarle was a most cap
able boat and safe. We were proud
of her for standing up against so
many fighting crafts. This naval
combat demonstrated to the world
that wooden warships were doomed
and no longer available in naval en-
gagements. The Federals finding
they couldn't successfully contend
against our iron clad in open war
fare, made on May 25th, 1864, an
unsuccessful attempt to blow her up.
They knew the Federal gun boats
could not 50 up the Roanoke river,
so long as the ram was in commits
sion and active service. She con-
trolled the river and they felt she
was a great obstruction and there
fore were most anxious to get her
out of the way.
In October 1864 Lieutenant w.
B. Gushing bern in Delafield, Wis.
Nov. Attn, 1912 volunteered to bl,w
up the AlbeInarle and for this pur-
pose folmed a plan which he carried
out on the night of the 9th day of
October 1864, On this trip of dar.
Ing Lieutenant Gushing was accom-
panied in torpedo boat by thirteen
men. they quietly stole up the
Roanoke river unobserved and reach.
ed the ram unseen. Gushing with
his own hands placed the torpedo
under the Albemarle and sci it afire
just as he was discovered. His
boat wss thrown up by the explos-
ion and filled with water as she came
dow AMI he and his men were
forced to jump into the river. In
der The fire Ct the musketry from
the Confederates they attempted to
swim the river to the opposite shore.
which was not inhabited and only
a swamp. 1t was the only hope OF
escape, all of his men being killed
or captured except one, although
wounded Gushing made his escape,
and after terrible experience in the
swamp along the Roanoke river he
reached the shore of the Abemarle
sound when he found skiff and in
it padded out to the Federal fleet.
For this act of bravery he was thank
ed by Congress and made a Lieu
tenant Commander in the navy.
His success was too greet for him to
stand. He lost bis mind and died
in Washington, D. c., Dec. 18th,
1886. This was the only real naval
battle lever witnessed. Often DUR
ing the fight we were wrought UP
to the most intense excitement.
Fearing the ram would be run down,
|or lose out in the fight we stood on
the shore until night closed in and
the ram was out of danger. For
weeks after that the shore on our
side OF the sound was streWn With
shattered small boats, barrels, buck
cts, splinters, wood and other things
belonging to the Warships. saw
one yawl which had a cannon shot
through its bow and stern and was
evidently shot from the .davits Of
some of the boats engaged in the
battle. During the fight one of the
Federal warships had her boiler ex-
ploded by shot from the ram,
which resulted in scalding to death
some of the men on her and pain
fully scalded others. War is dread
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