the Neuse river, and occasionally fired a shot or two at the fort and vessels at Hatteras. Of these vessels the Seabird and Curlew were sidewheel river steamboats; the others were "converted" canal boats, of perhaps 1⁄4-inch iron or less, about 100 feet long and 17 feet beam. The decks of these vessels were strengthened. The Seabird had a smooth-bore 32-pounder mounted forward, and a 30-pounder Parrott gun aft. The other vessels were armed with a 53-cwt. rifled and banded 32-pounder, mounted forward. The crew of each vessel numbered from 35 to 40 officers and men. In addition was the schooner Black Warrior, Lieutenant Harris, carrying two 32-pounder smooth-bores. The magazines, engines and boilers of all these vessels were above the water line and without any protection whatever.
In January, 1862, the United States navy department organized an expedition for the purpose of completely controlling the waters of the sounds. This fleet, under Flag-Officer L. M. Goldsborough, composed of seventeen vessels, and accompanied by an army of 12,000 men, under General Burnside, arrived off Hatteras on the 12th day of that month. Commodore Lynch assembled his entire squadron at Roanoke island, correctly anticipating an attack upon its defenses. Roanoke island is in Croatan sound, between Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. It was garrisoned by two North Carolina regiments under Colonels Shaw and Jordan. Colonel Scharf, in his history of the Confederate navy, well says: "With the military defense of Roanoke island this work has no proper connection except to express the opinion that greater want of preparation was nowhere else shown in all the war; that a more inadequate force was nowhere else entrusted with the defense of an important position. Gen. Henry A. Wise, who had lately been put in command of all the forces, fully represented this to the authorities at Richmond.
The defenses of Roanoke island consisted of three
