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1) WELCOME TO THE NEW HUNLEY NEWSLETTER

A special welcome to all the new subscribers. This newsletter is published every two weeks so no one is bombarded with mail.  This issue contains  additional information about the Hunley Crew Interment including a map and directions, an article about another submarine sighting, some humor about a missing torpedo and "What happened to the rescue vessels from the Housatonic."  Next issue will contain the best websites and local information about where to stay during the burial ceremonies also some inside tips on where to park, where to eat, etc. and of course we will strive to keep everyone up to date as info is released. George W. Penington

"Big Red," the official spirit flag of The Citadel Corps of Cadets, it is the same as the South Carolina Flag with a red rather than blue background.

 

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H. L. Hunley model 1/72 :Special Price: 29.95

The Hunley store now has models. The kit was created from first hand observations and archeological measurements  to create a truly accurate and magnificent finished piece for display.  Only a small amount of modeling experience & a few tools are recommended to complete the kit.  Simple instructions included indicate what tools are necessary. (Glue and paint are not included.)  Scale is 1/72. Length 11.50". Kit number #72-001.  $29.95 each.                           www.hunleystore.com

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Photography:

THE RE-BURIAL OF THE LAST HUNLEY CREW BEGINS HERE
CORNER OF EAST BATTERY AND SOUTH BATTERY WHERE THE PROCESSION BEGINS FOR RE-INTERMENT OF THE HUNLEY CREW
Photos OF Blakely Gun REMAINS AT THE END OF THE WAR Digital Enhancement by George W. Penington  Originals from Library of Congress

Proposed Route:

The event begins with a ceremony at 10:00 a.m. at White Point Gardens on South Battery in downtown Charleston. After the ceremony at approximately 11:00 the 4-½ mile funeral procession will begin. It will go from White Point Gardens up East Bay Street, turning right on Meeting Street, and turning right on Cunnington Street to Magnolia Cemetery.
 

The crewmembers’ remains will be transported individually by horse-drawn
caissons.  The funeral procession and burial is open to the public and will be held  rain or shine.


 

There will be lantern tours available at Magnolia Cemetery prior in the days before the burial. As more information on this comes available we will let everyone know.

Facial reconstructions and personal histories will be released in the days prior to the burial and experts will give lectures on the Hunley, her history and the crew.

Re-enactors can contact the following:
¨ For General information contact Kay Long at (843) 556-1805 or crsladyk@comcast.net or George Nauman at (843) 345-5554 or naumann@bellsouth.net.
¨ For SCV information contact David Rentz at david.rentz@tridenttech.edu.
¨ For artillery re-enactor information contact John Jowers at (843) 795-5132 or jowersja@hotmail.com.

DIRECTIONS:

Directions from I-26:
¨ Take I-26 to Charleston
¨ Take the Meeting St.  or King St. exits (Both go all the way downtown)
¨ Follow Meeting St. South until it ends. It runs into White Point Gardens.

Directions from Mt. Pleasant:
¨ Take Highway 17 to downtown Charleston
¨ Take the Meeting St. exit
¨ Follow Meeting St. South until it ends (all the way downtown) at White Point Gardens.


Directions from West Ashley:
¨ Take Highway 17/Savannah Highway to downtown Charleston.
¨ Cross the Ashley River Bridge
¨ Exit onto Lockwood Blvd. to downtown Charleston
¨ Exit onto Calhoun St. and follow to Meeting St.
¨ Take a right onto Meeting St. South until it ends. It runs into White Point Gardens.

To Magnolia Cemetery:
¨ Take I-26 to exit 219 B (Mt. Pleasant Street/Morrison Drive).
¨ Take a left at the stop sign.
¨ Go to the 2nd traffic light and take a left onto Meeting Street.
¨ Once on Meeting Street cross railroad tracks and take first right onto Cunnington Street.
¨ Come all the way down Cunnington Street until you reach the stop sign. At this time Magnolia’s gates are right in front of you.

TOURS 2004
 

Tours will be available Thursday and Friday April 15 & 16 and Sunday April 18 (tickets will be available for these special tours by the end of June).

Tours of the Hunley are normally open for public tours every Saturday from 10 – 5 and Sunday from 12 – 5 and will have those hours before the week of the Burial and all weeks following the Burial. Tickets are available at www.etix.com or by calling 1.877.4HUNLEY (1.877.448.6539).

 

On the lookout for a "devilish invention” ................

IN CHARLESTON THERE IS A MISSING TORPEDO - We may have to re-institute the torpedo service

 Jack Thomson of the Civil War Walking Tour of Charleston was called about picking up a coal torpedo. He said he can’t find it. I asked him what that meant and he said he lent it someone who I guess wanted to duplicate it and now this person says it has gone missing.  I asked him did this mean it was stolen or what and he said no but had an idea that somebody knows where it is.  He said to give him until the end of June so that he could bring it up at the Confederate Veterans group meeting and the Confederate Roundtable meeting.   So until this Yankee replica of a Confederate coal torpedo is found everyone should be careful while burning coal.  We will have to treat the culprit the same way the North was instructed to by Rear Admiral Porter, "not to be very particular about the treatment of any of these desperadoes if caught--only summary punishment will be effective.."

Report of Rear-Admiral Porter, U. S. Navy, transmitting captured letters referring to the institution of torpedo service.

MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON, FLAGSHIP BLACK HAWK,
Alexandria, La., March 20, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to enclose you some rebel correspondence which was captured by the gunboat Signal a day or two since, while the rebel mail carrier was crossing the river. It gives a complete history of the rebel torpedoes, the machine that blew up the Housatonic, and the manner in which it was done. They have just appointed a torpedo corps (I send one of the commissions) for the purpose of blowing up property of all kinds. Amongst other devilish inventions is a torpedo resembling a lump of coal, to be placed in coal piles and amongst the coal put on board vessels. The names of the parties are all mentioned in the correspondence, and I send a photograph of one of them, which, if multiplied and put in the hands of detectives, may be of service.

I have given orders to commanders of vessels not to be very particular about the treatment of any of these desperadoes if caught--only summary punishment will be effective. I trust that we will be prepared to avoid any of their machines.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

 DAVID D. PORTER,
Rear-Admiral.

 Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C.

Was there another top secret Confederate Submarine or was it a "David"?

Several witness including Ensign Craven, Captain Davis, Paymaster Richardson, and Dr. Burbank all testified that they saw something semi-submerged coming toward the U.S.S. Wabash. It fit the description of a submarine that by now they all had of the Confederate Submarine H. L. Hunley, except that it had only one turret.

Report of Captain DeCamp, U. S. Navy, regarding the discovery of a suspicious object in the water supposed to be a torpedo boat.

U. S. S. WABASH,
Off Charleston, S. C., April 19, 1864.

SIR: I have to report that last night, at about 9:45, an object was discovered by Ensign Charles H. Craven, the officer of the deck, on the starboard quarter, distant about 150 yards, which corresponded in shape and movements to the torpedo boat which sunk the Housatonic. It moved rapidly up against the tide, till about the mainmast, then, turning, stood directly for the ship.

Ensign Craven opened fire with musketry, beat the gong for the crew to assemble at quarters, rang four bells for the engine to go ahead, opened fire with the watch, with the starboard battery, and gave orders for slipping the chain.

The men rushed quickly to their quarters, the ship moved ahead, the chain was slipped, and when the object was being left in the quarter, distant at the time about 40 yards, a round shot is supposed to have struck it; at all events the second shot struck in its immediate vicinity, and it was seen no more.

One round shot was fired from each of the spar-deck guns on the starboard side, and the crews were kept at their quarters, while with the helm hard to port the ship kept cruising round the spot.

The marines were also stationed along the starboard side, where they could use their pieces to advantage. Signal was made to the effect that "Rams were coming," as that most likely to place the other cruisers on their guard, and soon the Canandaigua and Flag came up within hail.

Captain Davis, Paymaster Richardson, and Dr. Burbank all saw the object spoken of, which corresponded exactly to the description given of the torpedo boat, which sunk the Housatonic, except that this had but one elevated place or turret.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

 J. DE CAMP,
Captain.

 Commodore S. C. ROWAN,
Comdg. South Atlantic Blkdg. Squadron, off Charleston.

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Order of Commodore Rowan, U. S. Navy, to Captain De Camp, U. S. Navy, in view of the discovery of the supposed torpedo "David."

FLAGSHIP NEW IRONSIDES,
Off Morris Island, April 19, 1864.

SIR: I am in receipt of yours of this date respecting a torpedo "David" near your ship last night and its possible destruction by the fire of your battery.

I would suggest the propriety of keeping every other gun loaded with grape for firing at these craft.

You also report the loss of an anchor and 70 fathoms of chain. I presume you will recover this, as I take it for granted you had a good slip buoy on your chain.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

 S. C. ROWAN,
Commodore, Comdg. South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

 Captain JOHN DE CAMP,
Commanding U. S. S. Wabash, off Charleston Bar.

VIEWS OF THE "DAVIDS"

U. S. S. HOUSATONIC  You may recall that in the minutes it took for the Housatonic to sink, crewmen had climbed into the rigging that was sticking above the water line.  Two of her launches were loaded up with men with one of them rowing toward the U.S.S. Canandaigua which was several miles away near Rattlesnake shoals off the Isle of Palms. This was a tough row, in the dark;  a cold night fighting the tide and not knowing where the enemy sub, H.L. Hunley was.  The other launch was picked up around 6:00 A.M. February 18, 1864.

 Abstract log of the U. S. S. Canandaigua, Captain Green, U. S. Navy, commanding.               

February 17, 1864.-- At 9:20 p.m. discovered a boat pulling toward us. Hailed her and found her to be from the Housatonic. She reported the Housatonic sunk by a torpedo. Immediately slipped our chain and started for the scene of danger, with the Housatonic's boat in tow. At the same time sent up three rockets and burned Coston signals No. 82 and soon after burned 82 again. At 9:30 p.m. picked up another boat from the Housatonic, with Captain Pickering on board. At 9:35 arrived at the Housatonic and found her sunk. Lowered all boats, sent them alongside, and rescued the officers and crew, clinging to the rigging. At 10:30 all were brought from the wreck. Brought on board of this ship, belonging to the Housatonic, 21 officers and 137 men. At 11:30 stood toward the Wabash, to the southward and westward. Made signal to the Mary Sanford. The tug Daffodil, from inside the bar, communicated with us, Lieutenant-Commander Belknap on board. At 12 communicated with the Wabash and sent on board of her 8 officers and 49 men belonging to the Housatonic.

February 18.--At 12:40 a.m. Lieutenant-Commander Belknap left the ship and went inside the bar in the tug Daffodil. Clear and moonlight till 3:30 a.m., when the moon went down. At 6 a.m. picked up one of the Housatonic's launches, sent it inside the bar in tow of the tug. At 7:45 steamed by the Housatonic and at 8 a.m. let go our anchor near our old station in 5 fathoms water, Sumter bearing N. W. W. and Breach Inlet N. N. W.

Here is what happened to the life saving launches from the sunken Housatonic.

Report of Commodore Rowan, U. S. Navy, regarding the circumstances attending the loss of the boats saved from the wreck of the U. S. S. Housatonic.

FLAGSHIP NEW IRONSIDES,
Off Morris Island, South Carolina, March 15, 1864.

SIR: I regret to inform the Department that two boats saved from the wreck of the Housatonic were lost