Commandos Heart

History has many love stories weaved by the threads of tragedy and triumph. With a Civil War exploding across the nation, the sleepy river town of Plymouth, NC becomes the scene of the second largest battle in the state. Both Naval and Army groups collide here in events that change the course of the War. A killing machine is unleashed that threatens to break the Union Naval Blockade. Spirited Belle is torn between the three dashing Military men who court her. Belle's yearning passions are only equaled by her healing touch in this hell of pain. Should she choose duty, or follow her heart? Why I wrote this historical novel: On the night of 27-28 October 1864, Cushing and a small crew took the Union Navy steam launch upriver to Plymouth, NC, where they attacked and sank the Confederate ironclad Ram CSS Albemarle with a spar torpedo. My ancestor William Stotesbury was with Cushing on the mission. Some call Cushing and his crew the "First Seal Team." This action made him a national celebrity, and he was quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In January 1865, Cushing helped lead the Navy landing force in the conquest of Fort Fisher, NC, again distinguishing himself. As befits the memory of a man that Civil War Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles called "the hero of the War," the Navy has named a series of torpedo boats and destroyers for William Barker Cushing.