ten o'clock
The morning was beautiful ; the sunrise came in clouds of glory ; there was as yet no taint of battle in the purity of the air . It was a lovely day for a sea fight . Frank climbed into the rigging to observe . At ten o'clock Goldsborough 's gunboats could be seen making their way , one by one , cautiously , through the narrow channel between marshy islands into Croatan Sound . There were nineteen of them . The gunboats of the coast division followed , six in number . The S. R. Spaulding , to which Burnside had transferred his flag , next went in , making signals for the transports to follow .