The Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina has a large section dedicated to Confederate soldiers who died in the war and those soldiers who served and survived and wished to buried there after the war. The white marble gravestones are marked with birth and death dates of the fallen soldiers, with most of the dates from the war years to the late 19th century. However, there is a commemorative marker that was placed early this century, and it was for the last crew members on the CSS H.L. Hunley.
The CSS H. L. Hunley, named for its creator Horace Lawson Hunley, was an experimental warcraft, the first of its kind in naval history—a submarine that successfully sank another ship, the USS Housatonic, in combat. The Hunley did not do this on its first try, however. In fact, the Hunley, also nicknamed the “porpoise” and “the fish boat” sank twice before—on its maiden run August 29, 1863 killing its first crew of five members and later on October 15, 1863 killing all eight on board. Hunley himself was drowned on that voyage. The Hunley was raised both times and returned to battle.
The placard placed on the commemorative markers reads:
“On February 17th, 1864 the CSS H.L Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. He sub was lost that night as well, when it sank just outside Charleston Harbour in SC. With all eight crewmembers perishing. Crew Member James A Wicks was from North Carolina. Whereas it played a small role in Civil War history it played a major role in American naval history. The Confederate States of America submarine’s brave crew is listed below. Buried beneath this marker are partial sedimentary remains of those brave naval men taken from the sub when it was raised from the floor of the ocean on August 8th, 2000.
Lieutenant George E. Dixon, Commander
Arnold Becker
Corporal J. F. Carlsen
C. Lumpkin Miller
James A. Wicks
Joseph Ridgeway”
It is believed that when the crew fired its torpedo and hit the USS Housatonic, the impact of the explosion also sank the Hunley. The Hunley and its crew members were lost that night, until in 1995, the Hunley was found and raised for one last time. The Hunley is now on display at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Gravely Speaking 