CIVILIAN CLOTHES FOUND IN HUNLEY
Crewman with Union soldier's ID tag appears to have worn non-military garb
BY SCHUYLER KROPF
Of The Post and Courier Staff
The hunt to identify the eight crewmen of the
Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley has taken another odd twist: One of the men
might have been wearing civilian clothes.
He's the same man who was found wearing the dog tags
of a Union soldier around his neck.
The revelation comes as scientists are stepping up
their work to put names and faces with the sub's final crew.
So far the archaeological team studying the sub knows
that the youngest sailor was 17 to 20 years old when he died, while the oldest
was in his 40s.
As far as identities go, the two men who sat
immediately behind sub commander Lt. George Dixon appear to be sailors, or at
least wore Navy clothing.
Archaeologists are unclear about the dress of the
fourth crew member, while the fifth appears to be a veteran of a Confederate
artillery unit, possibly Cpl. C.F. Carlson, who replaced Hunley builder
William Alexander just weeks before the sub sank.
Of the next two men, one also appears to be a seaman
while the origin of the other's clothing isn't known.
The eighth man, the one wearing the identity medal of
Ezra Chamberlin, a Union soldier from Connecticut, is the crewman who might be
dressed in civilian clothes.
Project Manager Bob Neyland said none of the buttons
on the man's dress appear to be of military origin, which could mean he came
from civilian ranks, although Neyland stressed it is too early to be certain.
"He could be wearing more 'home-spun'
clothing," Neyland said Friday. "Maybe he just couldn't afford to
dress in a uniform, or he just took his jacket off."
The neck medal the man was found wearing last year is
among the most perplexing discoveries in the sub. Chamberlin reportedly died
on Morris Island in July 1863, a month before the Hunley arrived in Charleston
from its homeport of Mobile, Ala. Speculation has gone in at least two
directions: Either the crewman picked up the medallion as a souvenir, or
Chamberlin somehow became a member of the crew.
Meanwhile, the shoes of each crewman are being
examined for small bits of pollen and sediment so geologists can figure out
the burial conditions of the sub after the sinking. The bones inside the shoes
are also being CAT scanned, photographed and sketched.
The bone examination is expected to be a big part of
the work now. Beginning in February, Dr. Doug Owsley, head physical
anthropologist for the project, will start laying out the skeletal remains of
the crew for closer examination.
The Hunley became the world's first successful attack
submarine when it rammed its black powder charge into the Union blockade ship
Housatonic on the night of Feb. 17, 1864. It disappeared shortly afterward.
It was raised in August 2000 from its resting spot 4
miles off Charleston and is undergoing restoration at the Warren Lasch
Conservation Lab on the former Charleston Navy Base.
Used with permission of The Post and
Courier and Charleston.Net