it took on seven larger Union gunboats that had 

 62 guns to the Albemarle's two guns." 



The last page in the boat's colorful history 

 took place on Oct. 27, 1864. Twenty-year-old 

 U.S. Navy Lt. William Cushing led a raid and 

 destroyed the boat with a torpedo. 



Built by 19-year-old Gilbert Eliot 

 of Elizabeth City, the original Albemarle 

 withstood attacks because of its solid 

 construction — two layers of two-inch iron 

 plats rolled out of a railroad track and applied at 

 30-degree angles, according to Harrison. 



"The castmate that housed the gun deck 

 was sloped at a 30-degree angle so that shells 



fired by enemy gunboat would be deflected off it 

 and not absorbed in gun blast," Harrison adds. 



Plymouth craftsman Guy Macken led the 

 construction of the Albemarle replica that is 63 

 feet, compared to 158 feet for the original. More 

 than 6,000 furniture nails with heads that look 

 like rivets were used to secure the boat. 



"The Albemarle is powered by an outboard 

 motor hidden under the casemate," Harrison says 

 of the replica. "The shutters on the gun ports are 

 operable, and a gun crew inside the casemate can 

 actually roll out the guns and fire them." 



Marvin Spencer of Brush Creek Yachts in 

 Plymouth built the Yankee steam launch replica. 



LEFT: Union and Confederate units set up campsites acivss the street from the waterfront. RIQHT: James and 

 Joseph White are re-enactors in the Union Army. BELOW Two blacksmiths set up shop at a campsite. 



2004 RE-ENACTMENT 



During the Living History Weekend, 

 visitors ride on the passenger pontoon boat, 

 Copt. Johnny, operated by Stuart Wescott of 

 Manteo and get a close view of the Albemarle 

 and Yankee boat. 



Throughout the weekend, soldiers also 

 participate in street skirmishes, but use black 

 gun powder instead of bullets as a safety 

 precaution. 



On one side street, Confederate soldiers, 

 including a boy with a drum, are marching 

 down the street. One man yells, ' Yankee got 

 silver out of house." 



Then gunfire echoes through the smoke- 

 filled street. 



As the Confederate soldier moves 



forward, one soldier yells, 

 "Ready, aim, fire." 



Immediately, a Union 

 solider in a navy blue uniform 

 fires a shot, and a Confederate 

 soldier falls to the ground. 



For spectators like Zach 

 Jennings of King, the re- 

 enactment offers him a chance 

 to see history come to life. 



"It is awesome and 

 interesting," says Jennings. 

 The weekend includes more than street 

 skirmishes. Sometimes, participants replicate 

 19th-century celebrations. 



During one afternoon, re-enactors, Terry 

 Harwood and Jimmy Phillips of Middlesex 

 exchange vows at the historic Latham House. 



The bride is wearing a long off-the- 

 shoulder ball gown. Phillips is dressed in 

 a brown and blue Confederate sergeant's 

 uniform. 



Before the ceremony, the bride descends 

 the stairs and then walks onto the porch. 



The couple chose a period wedding to 

 showcase their Civil War hobby to friends 

 and family. The groom has been attending the 

 Civil War event since 1 996 and portrays a 1 st 

 sergeant with the 47th N.C. Volunteers. The 

 bride serves as a commissary sergeant, cooking 

 three meals a day over an open fire. 



"My husband's great-great-grandfather 

 was in the Confederacy," she says. "So it all fits 



together." Continued 



COASTWATCH 25 



