DESTRUCTION OF THE ALBEMARLE.
On the night of the 27th of October, Lieutenant W. B. Cushing, a young naval officer who had already evinced great coolness and daring in hazardous enterprises, was selected to take charge of a small launch to which was attached a torpedo, and sent on the dangerous mission of attempting the destruction of the Albemarle. Selecting a crew of thirteen officers and men who volunteered for the service, he passed several miles of the enemy’s pickets unobserved, and arrived within twenty yards of the Albemarle before being hailed by her lookouts. The torpedo boat was then steered under a full head of steam direct for the ram, which lay at her wharf at Plymouth, protected by a raft of logs extending outwards about thirty feet. Upon the alarm being given by the lookouts, a confused fire of musketry was opened by the rebels, which had little effect. “Passing her closely,” says Lieutenant Cushing, “we made a complete circle, so as to strike her fairly, and went into her bows on. By this time the enemy’s fire was very severe, but a dose of canister at short range served to moderate their zeal, and disturb their aim. In a moment we had struck the logs, just abreast of the quarter-port, breasting them in some feet, and our bows resting on them. The torpedo boom was then lowered, and by a vigorous pull I succeeded in driving the torpedo under the overhang, and exploded it at the same time the Albemarle’s gun was fired. A shot seemed to go crashing through my boat, and a dense mass of water rushed in from the torpedo, filling the launch, and completely disabling her. The enemy then continued to fire at fifteen feet range and demanded our surrender, which I twice refused, ordering the men to save themselves, and removing my own coat and shoes. Springing into the river, I swam with others into the middle of the stream, the rebels failing to hit us.” Lieutenant Cushing succeeded in reaching the opposite shore, and during the next day made his way by stealth through the surrounding swamps to a creek some distance below Plymouth, where he found a skiff belonging to a rebel picket, in which he effected his escape to the fleet. Only one other of his party succeeded in escaping, the rest being either captured, killed, or drowned. The Albemarle was completely submerged by the explosion of the torpedo, and so remained long subsequent to the evacuation of Plymouth by the rebels. This daring feat excited the admiration of the rebel no less than of the Federal authorities, and obtained for Lieutenant Cushing the thanks of Congress, and promotion to the next highest grade in the service.
Capture of Plymouth—The main rebel defence of Plymouth being thus removed, Commander Macomb, the senior naval officer in the Sounds, with the vessels under his command immediately pushed up the river to Plymouth, drove the rebels from their rifle-pits and batteries, and on October 31st retook the town, capturing a few prisoners, besides cannon, small arms, and ammunition.