In the early winter months of 1864 Confederate General Robert E Lee devised a plan to retake critical areas of eastern North Carolina then occupied by the Federal Army. If successful a new supply line would be established to Richmond, and the Southern war effort greatly bolstered as a result. Central to his plan was the use of the new rebel ironclad Albemarle then nearing completion on the Roanoke River. The CCS Albemarle was considered to be a formidable weapon by all concerned and its destruction soon became a high priority of the Lincoln administration.So successful would the Albemarle prove to be against the blockading squadron, however , that in utter desperation the Federal high command ultimately turned to a twenty one year old lieutenant who had demonstrated daring and success on the rivers of Virginia and North Carolina. Fiction, published 2015 Albemarle