Almost every student of Confederate naval history has heard of the ironclad Albemarle. She was successful in combat with the Union navy in several offensive and defensive actions in the waters of North Carolina, but wartime politics prevented her from forcing the Federals to leave Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. But in eastern North Carolina on a corn field along the Roanoke River, the Albemarle was instrumental in assisting the Confederates` recapture of Plymouth, North Carolina. The ironclad also served in the repulse of the Union flotilla holding the Western limits of Albemarle Sound. The author has combined research in archival and personal papers to write a comprehensive picture of Confederate naval technology. The politics, the wartime construction industry, and the strategy and tactics of the Confederate navy are all shown here through the construction and life of the ironclad ram Albemarle.