This month's theme is the American Civil War in the Lower Cape Fear Region. A special thanks goes to Chris E. Fonvielle Jr PhD.

 

William Barker Cushing’s short life was one of fame and adventure. In 1857, Cushing applied to and was granted entrance to the United States Naval Academy. He proved to be an indifferent student who got into trouble for playing pranks, a poor academic record, and what was termed an “irreverent attitude.” As a result of his misbehavior and high number of demerits, Cushing voluntarily resigned from the Academy in March 1861 rather than be expelled. With the firing on Ft. Sumter and onset of the American Civil War a month later, Cushing pleaded his case to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles in person and was reinstated for service in the United States Navy.

 

 

Vowing to erase the stigma of youthful indiscretions, Cushing became famous for his numerous courageous actions. On November 23, 1862, the then 20-year-old lieutenant steamed up New River Inlet on the USS Ellis a gunboat with two cannon, to “sweep the river, capture any vessels there, capture the town of Jacksonville or Onslow Court House, take the Wilmington mail, and destroy any salt works that I might find on the banks,” Cushing later reported. “I expected to surprise the enemy going up, and then fight my way out.” During the raid, Cushing destroyed a Confederate vessel loaded with turpentine and cotton and captured two Confederate schooners, 25 muskets, and mail from which he gleaned important intelligence. Although the Ellis ran aground and had to be scuttled, Union forces took no casualties while under sustained Confederate light artillery attacks.

 

By 1864, the town of Plymouth on the Roanoke River in northeastern North Carolina had become a key supply depot for Federal occupation troops. However, the Confederate ironclad ram Albemarle, helped Confederate forces retake Plymouth in April and threatened Union blockaders in nearby Albemarle Sound.

 

On the night of October 27-28, 1864, Cushing and 15 men silently made their way up the Roanoke River on a secret mission to either hijack or destroy the Confederates’ iron titan moored at Plymouth. Using only a small steam launch known as Picket Boat Number 1 equipped with a powerful explosive device, known as a torpedo, attached to a long spar with which Cushing would blow up the Rebel ram, if necessary.

 

As Cushing’s launch neared the ironclad in the dark of night, a suspicious dog onshore began barking, alerting Confederate sentinels who immediately opened fire with both rifle muskets and artillery. Despite the severity of the fire, Cushing stood in the bow of his launch to coolly and calmly deploy the torpedo underneath the Albemarle’s wooden hull and detonate his custom made torpedo. According to his after action report, the explosion blew a hole in the Albemarle large enough to drive a wagon through and she sank at her moorings. It also threw Cushing and his sailors overboard.

After swimming to shore and hiding from Confederate patrols for a day, Cushing stole a small skiff and paddled his way back to the Union patrol ships at the mouth of the Roanoke River. Three days later, Federal forces recaptured Plymouth and maintained control of both Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds for the remainder of the war. To honor Cushing’s bold, daring, and successful foray, the U.S. Navy promoted the intrepid officer to the rank of lieutenant commander. A historian later dubbed him “Lincoln’s Commando”.

 

In late 1864 and early 1865, Cushing earned more laurels and fame by leading dangerous reconnaissance missions to determine Confederate strength in the Cape Fear Region. During the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in mid-January 1865, Cushing was a fortunate survivor of a heavy ground assault against Fort Fisher’s Northeast Bastion that left 300 US Marines and sailors dead or wounded. Three days after the fall of Fort Fisher, Cushing was the first Union officer to set foot in Smithville (modern Southport) near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Anointing himself “military governor,” Cushing secured the area by placing sailors and Marines throughout the town for a week until army troops arrived to relieve them.

 

After the war, Cushing stayed in the U.S. Navy. In 1872, the Navy Department promoted him to commander, making him the youngest naval officer to attain that distinction. Even before the war ended, Cushing began experiencing severe headaches and chest pains. Twentieth century doctors speculated that Cushing came down with tuberculosis, which ran in his family, or suffered from brain trauma as a result of combat. “Lincoln’s Commando” died an untimely death at the young age of 32 on December 17, 1874, and was buried on the grounds of the United State Naval Academy. In addition to his name and rank, the imposing marble marker atop his grave lists only three words: Albemarle on one side and Fort Fisher on the other.