Saving the Bombshell

MARCH 1ST-2ND, 1864: At the request of General Wessells, Lt. Cmdr. Flusser, USN, took the double-ender USS Southfield and tinclad Whitehead up the Chowan River, NC, to aid the Army steamer Bombshell which had been cut off by Confederates above Petty Shore. //// Having been warned of torpedoes, Flusser stopped and engaged Confederate shore batteries as night fell, then dropped downriver to await morning. //// On 2 March, the ships kept up a constant bombardment and enabled the Bombshell to dash by later in the day. //// --Old B-Runner