CSS Albemarle at Plymouth, NC-- Part 1

APRIL 19TH, 1864: The ironclad ram CSS Albemarle, Commander Cooke, attacked Union warships at Plymouth, NC, at 3:30 in the morning. It had departed Hamilton on the evening of the 17th. //// While en route "a portion of the machinery broke down" and "the rudderhead broke off," but repairs were promptly made; and despite the navigational hazards of the crooked Roanoke River, Cooke proceeded and anchored above Plymouth at 10 PM on the 18th. //// A planned rendezvous with Confederate troops did not take place, so Cooke sent a small boat to learn the locations of Union vessels and batteries. Shortly before midnight the boat returned and informed him they would be able to pass over enemy onstructions due to the high water in the river. ////