Action at New Topsail Inlet on August 22, 1863-- Part 2: Cushing's At It Again

AUGUST 22ND, 1863:  Boat crew from the USS Shokokon, Lieutenant Cushing, destroyed schooner Alexander Cooper in New Topsail Inlet, North Carolina.

"This was,"  Rear Admiral S.P. Lee wrote, "a handsome affair, showing skill and gallantry."

Ten days earlier, Cushing had sighted the blockade runner while he was on a reconnaissance of the inlet.  "This schooner," he said, "I determined to destroy, and as it was so well guarded I concluded to use strategy."

The evening of the 22nd, he sent two boats' crews ashore under the command of Acting Ensign Joseph E. Cony.  The men landed, shouldered a dingy, and carried it across a neck of land to the inlet.

Thus the assault took place from behind the Confederate works with marked success.  In addition to burning the Alexander Cooper, Cony destroyed extensive salt works in the vicinity and took three prisoners back to the Shokokon.

Very Sneaky Mr. Cushing.  --Old B-Runner