Looking forward to seeing this relic at some point in my travels...
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012 ... /13hunley/

Stephen

Stephen -

The wife and I were in Mobile, Alabama a couple of years ago and encountered a gentleman dressed in a Confederate wool uniform in the hotel elevator. I figured that there was some kind of Civil War battle re-entactment, but when I asked him, he said that they were burying a Confederate veteran that day. I was surprised until I found out that they were the remains of one of the Hunley's sailors recovered from the vessel. It was very hot that day in Mobile when the gentleman and his comrades marched to the local cemetary in what had to be the very last Civil War funeral.

Les

The Hunley burials were in 2004 (I was there for them). In 2006, they buried 6 soldiers from Mass, in 2009 they burried an unkown from New York in the national cemetary in Saratoga, and also in 2009 they buried a Confederate Soldier in Tenn. Believe it or not, we are still finding casualties from that war, and no one really knows exactly how many were killed or where they are all buried. The figures keep chainging, but last time I checked they were up over 615,000 (that's for both sides).

Brettcog -

Thanks for pinpointing the date of the Hunley funerals in Mobile. And for setting me straight about Civil War burials actually occurring since then.

Les

No problem Les,

You have it pegged though, it was a very hot day when we brought the boys home. I do have a question however, we burried all of the boys in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C. so I think the guy may have been a little dishonest with you. The 1st, second, and third crews of the sub are all buried at Magnolia.

http://www.hunley.org/main_index.asp?CO ... B_PREVIOUS

Brett

I was fortunate enough to be out in the harbor on a boat the day they brought the Hunley up- the massive parade of boats escorting it back in to Charleston was one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed.

We visited the sub about 8 or 9 years ago; I'm really looking forward to seeing it again, this time sitting upright with the supports out of the way.

A really cool piece of engineering manned by some of the bravest (and/or craziest) men that ever lived.

Anyone who thinks it's a good idea to crimp off the ends of a locomotive boiler, put it in the water and then sink it while they are in it has to be a little crazy.... :-)

But I agree. Very brave men.

Leaving that sub in exactly the condition as it is shown in the photos would be my preference for the ideal display. I know there are lots of chemistry issues about stabilizing the iron, and perhaps that process is not yet finished.

However, chipping off all of that encrustation seems like a really bad idea to me. The way it is with the crusting, it perfectly complements the antiquity of the artifact. Stripping it down to bare metal would ruin the effect.

Exactly what is the purpose of removing the encrustation?

At least two hull plates were removed to gain access to the interior for recovery of the crew's remains and artifacts. I'm sure the encrustation had to be removed in at least that area for that to take place.

It may be necessary to remove the remainder of the encrustation to allow chemical treatment of the exterior of the hull to prevent further deterioration.

My preference would be to see it all removed to give us a better idea of what it looked like when it was new.

As to how crazy the crew was- the final crew, that sank the USS Housatonic, was made up of men who recovered the sub and removed the bodies after the second sinking. Removal of the bodies was a truly gruesome task; apparently the bodies had to be cut apart to get them out of the tiny hatches. It's hard to imagine how anybody could have participated in that and still volunteered to go out on that boat, but they did.

I just think that the authentic, unadulterated, historical artifact is gorgeous as it is, for what it stands for, and for the honest depiction of the effect of all that time. It looks fantastic in the current photos. It would be a shame to ruin that effect by “restoration.”

I heard that they wanted to remove all the encrustation because they needed to find out how it was sunk. Destroying the patina of the artifact in order to investigate the cause of the sinking seems like a rather ham handed objective to me.

The very last thing I would want to see is some sort or restoration to show it what it looked like when it was new. You might as well section it and paint it up with color-coding to identify the parts.

I remember in the early 1960's, when we were school children celebrating the centennial of the war, the story of the "Hunley" was, she was lost forever, along with her crew. Most of us fail to identify properly with the anger, spirit, conscience, and patriotism of soldiers on both the Union and Confederate forces. The "Hunley" story begins to bring us back into context, as does Pickett's charge, as does Little Round Top, and Marey's Heights. The American Civil War is the most riveting story in the history of this nation, followed closely by D-Day, 1944.

Brett -

Thanks for your comments. Obviously, as I read the website referenced, the three crews of the Hunley are all buried in South Carolina. But certainly the gentleman on the elevator that day in Mobile, was not being dishonest with me. There was a parade down a main downtown street with a rather large number of gentlemen wearing Confederate uniforms, plus a number of women dressed in the long gowns that was the style in the Civil War era. My wife and I both agree on this. Perhaps we got the story a bit wrong, but that's the way we remember it. I guess it will remain a mystery as to what the event actually was.

Les

Were there also guys parading wearing white sheets and pillowcases over their heads? That could clear things up..........

dave

Gentlemen, careful... The recent unpleasantness has a way of raising emotions and less than civil discourse

Your always friend moderator... Randy

P.S... One Great Great Grandfather was in the 57th Virginia, and died of disease during the war... fought at Fredricksburg under command of Stonewall Jackson... Another was in the 37th Kentucky, on the opposite side of the war, and survived his service. His big battle was at Saltus VA...

Randy -

No unpleasantness on this thread as far as I can see. The comment about sheets and pillowcases was uncalled for, but was ignored I'm sure.

Les