A Bold Strike on the Roanoke: The Story of Daniel G. George

Born in 1840 in Plaistow, New Hampshire, Daniel G. George entered the U.S. Navy during the height of the American Civil War. Serving under the alias “William Smith,” George volunteered for a mission that many deemed a suicide run: the destruction of the CSS Albemarle, a powerful Confederate ironclad ram that dominated the Roanoke River and threatened the Union’s blockade.

On the night of October 27, 1864, George served as an Ordinary Seaman aboard U.S. Picket Boat No. 1. Led by Lieutenant William B. Cushing, the small, steam-powered launch crept through the darkness toward Plymouth, North Carolina. The crew managed to slip past Confederate pickets within a mere 20 yards before being detected.

Under a hail of enemy fire, the picket boat charged the ironclad at full speed. George and his crewmates forced the boat over a protective log boom and successfully detonated a spar torpedo against the Albemarle’s port bow. The explosion sank the ram but also destroyed the picket boat. In the ensuing chaos, George was captured by Confederate forces. For his “extraordinary heroism” during this daring raid, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.