ornton made the
remark that the place would have been very difficult to capture with
any naval force, so strongly was it fortified.

Lieutenant-Commander James S. Thornton was executive officer aboard the
U.S. steamer Kearsarge at the time this vessel sunk the rebel blockade
runner Alabama, in which the transaction was so quick and complete.
Captain Thornton stated that at 11 o'clock a.m., of a Sunday, when he
received the report of there being a ship in sight, he was seated in a
chair, with his feet resting on the wardroom table, reading the Bible.
The rattle for general quarters was rung, and the Kearsarge got under
weigh, and proceeded toward the Alabama, sunk her, and by 2 o'clock of
the same afternoon the Kearsarge arrived at Cherbourg, France. Comments
by the citizens of that place were made on the cleanliness of the
Kearsarge after sinking so formidable a vessel as the Alabama.

Monday, May 15, at 1 p.m., the Valley City arrived at Palmyra, N.C. I
visited the town. It is a place of about a half-a-dozen houses, about a
mile from the right bank of the Roanoke river. At this place Captain J.
A. J. Brooks joined the Valley City with the Cotton Plant and Fisher,
two steamers which the Confederates had captured from the Federals at
Plymouth at the time the Southfield was sunk by the rebel ram
Albemarle. There were aboard these boats fifty bales of cotton. In the
evening, pilot John A. Wilson ran the Valley City hard and fast
aground, so that it took the greater part of the night to get her
afloat.

Thursday, May 16, the Valley City steamed up to Ergot's Landing, and
took aboard thirty-nine bales of cotton. Thursday, May 18, the Valley
City got under weigh and proceeded down the Roanoke river and came to
anchor five miles above Hamilton.

Saturday, May 20, at 9 a.m., the Valley City got under weigh, and
proceeded to Hamilton, where we came to an anchor. On Tuesday, May 23,
in the morning Captain J. A. J. Brooks, Paymaster J. W. Sands and
myself went hunting for squirrels. Paymaster Sands separated from us
early in the morning. The Captain and I soon came to a mulberry tree,
on which he shot a squirrel which was after mulberries; another came
and was shot, and before night we shot a dozen. In the evening, upon
returning to the vessel, we met Paymaster Sands, who was also returning
to the vessel. He had been traveling all day in the woods, but did not
shoot a squirrel. We all proceeded to the Valley City, and had the