OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 1, 1864 Capitalizing on Lt. Cushing's success destroying the CSS Albemarle, Commander Macomb moved against Plymouth, North Carolina, capturing the town and defenses after a heated engagement.
Immediately after Cushing's return on 29 October, Macomb steamed up the Roanoke River with six ships. The USS Valley City proceeded via Middle River and entered the Roanoke above Plymouth to cut off the garrison's escape by water. Macomb's gunboats engaged the lower batteries protecting the town, but seeing that two schooners had been sunk by the sunken USS Southfield, obstructing the river, withdrew to Albemarle Sound.
On the 30th, Macomb took his fleet through the Middle River to attack the city and its defenses from above, spending the entire day navigating the treacherous channels and shelling the Confederate works at long range. On 31 October, Macomb formed his line of battle, with converted ferryboat USS Commodore Hull in the lead, followedby the sidewheel double-enders USS Tacony, USS Shamrock, USS Ostego and USS Wyalusing.
--Old B-Runner
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