In October 1864, Union officer Lt. William Cushing became an instant hero for his leadership and daring that resulted in the destruction of CSS Albemarle, a ship which, at the time, seemed unsinkable.
Back in early 1862, Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside had conquered the North Carolina Sounds. This action stunned the Confederacy. The capture of North Carolina’s Great Inland Sea took away a vast agricultural region and threatened or disrupted vital transportation links between Richmond, Virginia, and the Deep South.
Thus, to regain this region, in April 1864, the Confederacy unleashed the ironclad ram CSS Albemarle to challenge Union superiority on the Sounds. The Confederate ironclad sank USS Southfield on April 19, 1864, which enabled them to liberate the North Carolina towns of Edenton, Plymouth, and Washington. The undefeated CSS Albemarle remained a thorn in the side of the Union at its dock at Plymouth, North Carolina….