#22  THE HUNLEY NEWSLETTER FRIDAY, November 22, 2002

*******************************************************

CONTENTS

1) WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS and a word from our sponsor.

2) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - GOLD COIN NOW ON DISPLAY

3) NEWS: Confederate Steamer Sumter Discovered in Charleston Harbor

4) Diamond-encrusted pieces pose mystery

5) COURT MIGHT DECIDE IF PUBLIC KNOWS

6) RECENT E-MAILS

7) NEW MAP AND CHART OF THE CIVIL WAR BATTLE HISTORY AROUND CHARLESTON HARBOR

8) FROM THE GUEST BOOK

9) OUR PURPOSE AND GOALS

*****************************

1) WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS:

We are publishing newsletters every two weeks. One of the primary highlights of this newsletter is to focus on solving the mysteries surrounding the Hunley and the discussion of facts as they are released.

****************** SPONSOR ****************************

This weeks special at The Hunley store you will receive the Hunley Commemorative Coin (unframed), The Civil War at Charleston and the Charleston harbor map by George Penington for only $24.99 plus 3.50 S&H.

www.hunleystore.com

*******************************************************

I can highly recommend this book to get a concise picture of what was happening around Charleston and The Hunley during the Civil War. It is well put together and is great as a reference tool. It would be useful to anyone teaching or just interested in Charleston. George

*********************************************************

2)   In case you missed it

GOLD COIN NOW ON DISPLAY At WARREN LASCH LABORATORY

Saturday, November 9, 2002
BY George W. Penington - Editor



The renowned “Gold Coin” found on board the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley is now on public display. The good-luck piece belonging to sub Commander Lt. George E. Dixon is part of the regular tours at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center beginning Nov. 16.
The sub's snorkel tubes and rudder were added to the weekend tours, along with the Union soldier I.D. tag found around the neck of the sub's first officer.
The coin, which has been in an undisclosed location since it was found in May 2001. Only a select few have been allowed to see the coin in real life. 

The story of the coin was recorded in the letters by some of Dixon's comrades in the 21^st Alabama that tell about the now famous soldier’s sweetheart, Queenie Bennett, and how she came to give Dixon a twenty dollar gold piece before he marched off to war in October 1861.
During the battle of Shiloh, Dixon was shot in the leg but the Minnie ball struck the gold coin. Forensic scientist state that Dixon was gravely injured and probably walked with a limp after being wounded on his left thigh bone and was lucky not to have died or lost his leg.
It was proven that Dixon carried the warped coin with him
everywhere after that when it was discovered in his pants pocket during the final excavation.
 Scientists also found that an inscription was added to the warped coin by Dixon. It reads:
     Shiloh
     April 6th, 1862
     My life Preserver
     G.E.D.
The coin has come to symbolizes a love story that touches the heart of anyone who has the privilege enough to see it."
    
The Lasch Conservation Center is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. A ticket must be purchased to see the Gold Coin and other artifacts on display. Tickets cost $10 and are available at 1-877-4HUNLEY or on the Internet at www.etix.com.
Tickets can be purchased at the door where you can save the $3.00 additional surcharge dollars it cost to buy them online.   

********************************************
November 8, 2002 - Press Release

3) Confederate Steamer Sumter Discovered in Charleston Harbor

Shipwreck Expert E. Lee Spence to be Featured on Livin’ Large

Shipwreck expert E. Lee Spence of Summerville, South Carolina, announced today that he has discovered the wreck of the Confederate transport Sumter, which was lost near the entrance to Charleston in 1863. The discovery will be included in an episode of Dick Clark Productions nationally syndicated television program Livin’ Large. Livin’ Large decided to feature Spence due to his many successful ventures and the unusual nature of his work. The show is a contemporary version of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." According to Spence, he has worked on "everything from a Great Lakes freighter with Scotch & Champagne to Spanish galleons with tons of silver." The episode aired in the Columbia area on WLTX at half past midnight on Friday, November 8, 2002, and in the Charleston area on WCBD at midnight on Saturday.

The Confederate troop transport and munitions carrier was sunk by "friendly fire" on the night of August 30, 1863, while returning from Morris Island, South Carolina. The steamer was carrying 600 to 740 men, who had just been relieved from duty on Morris Island, and was bound to Battery Gregg when she ran aground and was fired upon by mistake from a Confederate fortification near Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. At least one shot penetrated her hull, and she quickly filled with water. Very soon afterwards the steamer went to pieces. One account stated that the men were from the 12th or the 23rd regiments of the South Carolina volunteers. Another said they were from the 20th South Carolina and 23rd Georgia Regiments and "an artillery company."

Contemporary reports stated that the men on the Sumter lost "nearly all of their guns, accouterments and ammunition." If they are still down there, the artifacts could easily be worth over $1,000,000 on the collectors' market, but Spence says "their real value would be in the story they would tell about the brave men who lost them." Several men were killed, and others drowned, when they tried to escape by swimming. Estimates of the total dead and/or missing varied between eight and forty. The remainder of the troops were rescued by Colonel Rhett’s men from Fort Sumter and by boats sent down by the Confederate navy. Contemporary accounts described her as lost on the "east end of fort reef," "fifty to seventy yards inside of the Cumming’s Point buoy and about eight hundred to a thousand yards from Fort Sumter."

Comparing the historical record to a modern day chart, Spence noted a small shoal just off the tip of Morris Island. The same shoal was shown on a hand drawn chart made in 1865. Spence had a hunch that the shoal on both maps was "fort reef."As an underwater archaeologist and President of the Sea Research Society, Spence decided that a simple "Look-See" expedition to the shoal was the best course of action. A "Look-See," which did not disturb the site, could be done quickly and quietly, without violating any State or federal laws. The big thing was that it could go forward without the need for special permits.

Using bearings determined from the chart, the 23’ Scout was anchored directly over the most promising location. Within seconds of going into the water, Spence realized his "research had been dead on." Spence observed brick ballast and other items from the wreck, but left them in place. He saw no sign of the vessel’s high-pressure steam plant and suspects it was raised for scrap after the war. Although there could easily be a fortune in artifacts at the site, Spence, says "My primary interest was in finding the wreck. I have no desire to spend years seeking official permission to work the site, only to see someone else credited with my discovery. Without a permit from the State Budget & Control Board, it is a felony to disturb a warship in South Carolina waters, which is believed to have human remains aboard. With over four decades of shipwreck diving experience, Spence does not believe there are any human remains at the site. But, due to South Carolina law, Spence did not pick up any of the artifacts he found, nor did he dig into or otherwise disturb the site. The limited visibility prevented any meaningful underwater photography during the expedition. The Sea Research Society expedition was aided with equipment provided by White’s Metal Detectors, Fisher Research Laboratories, Hummer dealer Doug McElveen and Dave Wallace of Scout Boats. Besides Spence, the primary participants in the project were Kelly McDaniel and Bill Hoolahan of the Sea Research Society and Nelson Jacobs and Alan Lang of Scout Boats in Summerville.

The exposed portions of the wreck were used as target practice by the Confederates in the weeks after it was sunk, so it is clear that the Confederates had abandoned it. Legally, that abandonment means that it was not Confederate government property when the Civil War ended. Therefore, the wreck would not have been a "prize of war." So, title to the vessel’s remains would never have transferred to the federal government. As the finder of abandoned property, Spence claims ownership and warns people to stay away from the wreck. Spence says "I expect to be donating any rights I have to the wreck to the American Military Museum in Charleston, and the museum’s officials can try to work something out with the State." Museum director and curator George Meagher says "any artifacts from the site would make a great addition to our collection."

Spence was the original discoverer of the wreck of the Confederate submarine Hunley and donated his title to the vessel to the State in September of 1995 at the request of the Hunley Commission. Attorney General Charles M. Condon signed the donation agreement. Shortly afterwards, Condon wrote Spence to say "Let me take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and profound gratitude for your generous and historic donation to the State of your rights to the submarine H.L. Hunley." Two months later, South Carolina Governor David M. Beasley wrote Spence and stated "Your work in discovering the Hunley is of great significance. ...... South Carolina is indebted to you for the wonderful contribution you have made to archaeology." On November 15, 2000, Governor Beasley again wrote Spence and said "South Carolina is & should be proud of you."

4) Diamond-encrusted pieces pose mystery

 Thursday, November 14, 2002

BY SCHUYLER KROPF
Of The Post and Courier Staff

      In February 1864, before stepping into the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley for the last time, sub commander Lt. George Dixon stuck two valuable trinkets deep inside his pocket for safekeeping.
     They weren't items normally found with any fighting man. In fact, it was odd for anyone in the impoverished South to possess something this ornate. Both were made of the finest gold and covered in brilliant diamonds.
     One was possibly a man's pinky ring with nine diamonds, the other a decorative brooch with 37 diamonds. No one is sure what they meant to Dixon, but he carried them to his death.
     Last week, archaeologists excavating the submarine discovered the jewelry hidden in the sea muck that surrounded Dixon's body for nearly 140 years.
     Why Dixon possessed the jewelry is a mystery. It is not clear if they were meant for a man or a woman. It is possible the ring and brooch were his and that he simply had a flair for the ornate. Historians already suspect Dixon, in his 20s, liked the finer things in life, given the quality of the clothing he wore in the sub.
     "This man, George Dixon, was dressed for destiny," Hunley Commission Chairman Glenn McConnell said Wednesday at a news conference announcing the find. "It puts George Dixon in that category of one of the last cavaliers."
     But it could also be that one or both of the items were meant to be gifts for his girlfriend, Southern belle Queenie Bennett of Mobile, Ala.
     "If that's a female pin, he expected to see her again," McConnell said.
     Experts from the Smithsonian Institution are now researching19th-century jewelry habits to explore the possibilities.
     Jesse Woods of Barry's Jewelers in North Charleston, who has examined both pieces, doesn't think they were made by the same person, but said they probably were meant for the same person because of their similar style. "Both of them are showy," he said.
     The ring is made of gold, possibly 18 or 24 carat, and has nine diamonds - one half-carat diamond surrounded by eight smaller ones that total about half a carat. The diamonds are high quality. The cut is old mine. The diamonds could have come from anyplace. "From Russia to Africa," Woods said.
     The style is similar to today's ring known in the jewelry industry as a "Kentucky Colonel," Woods added, meaning it is something meant to be flashy and ornate. The ring appears to be of English origin and likely was imported. It's about a size six, which means it's probably a pinky ring - if it is a man's ring. There is also a cut mark in the band, indicating that it was sized to fit.
     The ring today would cost more than $1,500 retail, not including its historical value, Woods estimated.
     The gold brooch, which is about the size of a nickel, has 37 diamonds: one in the middle surrounded by six smaller ones, which are surrounded by 30 smaller diamonds. The brooch is about 2 carats and would cost about $3,000 today, Woods said.
     Officials are wary of making any statements about their significance until the items can be further studied.
     "It's important to note these were just excavated last week, so no scientific evaluation has begun," said Warren Lasch, chairman of Friends of the Hunley, at the conservation lab news conference.
     Though the excavation of the sub's interior is long finished, the ring and brooch were discovered this late in the project because much of Dixon's remains had to be "block-lifted" out of the sub in tight muddy bricks. The items were removed to a laboratory where the lighting is better and there is more room than in the confined quarters of the tiny submarine.
     Archaeologists are now sifting through more than 40 blocks looking for personal items, clothing and bone matter. Officials hope to bury all eight Hunley crewmen sometime next fall.
     Archaeologist Maria Jacobsen said the jewelry pieces were found wrapped between two layers of cloth as if for "safekeeping." They were resting beneath Dixon's right thigh bone, which meant they probably were kept in a jacket or maybe a pants pocket when the sub sailed for the last time.
     Because gold and diamonds don't corrode like other objects in a historical find, conservation is not a major concern. "From a conservation standpoint, it's very high-quality gold," Jacobsen said.
     Lasch said the plan is to put the items on display along with most everything else pulled from the sub. The discovery also comes as one of the sub's earlier stunning finds - Dixon's $20 Lady Liberty gold coin that stopped a bullet at the Battle of Shiloh and saved his life - goes on display this weekend for the first time as part of the tours at the Hunley lab in North Charleston.
     The hand-cranked submarine became the world's first successful attack sub on the night of Feb. 17, 1864, when it rammed a black powder charge into the Union blockade ship Housatonic, 4 miles off Charleston Harbor. The sub never returned.

NOTE: By MisterGWP    Dr. E. Lee Spence discovered the Hunley in 1970 and will be credited as the first to find her. It was re-discovered in 1995 by a dive team funded by best-selling adventure-author Clive Cussler using Spence's coordinates and raised off the ocean floor in 2000.
    

 

The Department of Public Safety is providing elite police officers to guard the Hunley seven days a week at a cost of $110,000 year.

7) NEW MAP AND CHART OF THE CIVIL WAR BATTLE HISTORY AROUND CHARLESTON HARBOR.

To Those that ordered the map, thanks for your patience. Last minute discoveries and adjustments to the plotting of certain shipwrecks make it much more accurate and some of the graphics were corrected as well.

The map based around the Civil War in Charleston Harbor has expanded to include the Stono River area. I have taken the NOAA Chart 11521 and reduced it to a manageable size of 11 x 17. The Latitudes and Longitudes are scaled so that tracking can be accurately done. Each map graphically shows the ships around the harbor and their appropriate location on specified dates. I have plotted the locations of wrecks such as the Blockade runner "Ruby" off Folly Beach. The Housatonic and the Hunley are accurately charted according to records and research that are publicly available.

Using available Naval Records and History, reports, and documents I have been able to discern the locations of such ships as the Canandaigua, the probable course of The Hunley, and the location of various other blockading ships in relation to Hunley the night of February 17, 1864. I have kept the depth gages of the waters around Charleston and have included the locations of the first and second sinking of the Hunley. All the time and research in making this map has been extremely interesting and gives a great perspective of the battles in and around Charleston Harbor from 1861-1865.

8) FROM THE GUEST BOOK