about noon
The water was shoal , and progress was slow , and soon it came on to rain . It was a dismal day ; rain on the decks , rain on the water , rain on the marshy shores of the main land , and over the forests beyond , where the ghosts of blasted trees stretched their naked arms despairingly to the dripping clouds . And now a low swampy point of Roanoke Island pushes out into the dim water , under a veil of rain . At about noon , most of the vessels came to anchor . But some of the gunboats advanced to the entrance of Croatan Sound , and reconnoitred . The rebel fleet was discovered , drawn up in line of battle on the west side of the island , awaiting the conflict . A fog coming on , active operations against the enemy were postponed , and the gunboats , withdrawing also , came to anchor for the night .