By the flow of the inland river, Whence the fleets of iron have fled, Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver, Asleep are the ranks of the dead:  Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment-day; Under the one, the Blue, Under the other, the Gray. These in the robings of glory, Those in the gloom of defeat, All with the battle-blood gory, In the dusk of eternity meet: Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment-day,  Under the laurel, the Blue, Under the willow, the Gray. From the silence of sorrowful hours The desolate mourners go, Lovingly laden with flowers Alike for the friend and the foe: Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment-day,  Waiting the judgment-day,   Under the roses, the Blue,  Under the lilies, the Gray. So, with an equal splendor, The morning sun-rays fall, With a touch impartially tender,  On the blossoms blooming for all: Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment-day,  Broidered with gold, the Blue, Mellowed with gold, the Gray. So, when the summer calleth,  On forest and field of grain, With an equal murmur falleth   The cooling drip of the rain: Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment-day, Wet with the rain, but not with upbraiding,  The generous deed was done, In the storm of the years that are fading  Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment-day, Under the blossoms, the Blue, Under the garlands, the Gray. No more shall the war cry sever, Or the winding rivers be red; they banish our anger forever  When they laurel the graves of our dead!  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment-day,    Tears and love for the Gray. -THE BLUE AND THE GRAY   by Francis Miles Finch THE BATTLE

In August 1863, the Hunley was shipped to Charleston, South Carolina on orders given by General Beauregard. General Beauregard intended to use the submarine against  Admiral Dahlgren's blockading fleet. The Hunley had only been in Charleston a few weeks when disaster struck,  on August 30, 1863 the submarine sank for the first time.  Out of eight crew members only three were able to escape the rest  were condemned to a gruesome watery grave. Among the lucky survivors was  Lieutenant John Payne and crewman Charles Hasker. Six weeks later the Hunley was again put to the test, once again the craft sank, dispatching  eight brave Confederate crewmen to a ghastly waterlogged burial ground. Among the victims were Horace Hunley and  Mr. Parks. Both accidents were thought to be caused by a  "pilot error."  

General Beauregard had serious reservations about the cause of the sinking and gave orders that the Hunley was to be operated only on the surface for the time being. This time he appointed Lieutenants George Dixon and William Alexander to command the ill-fated vessel. Despite the General orders Lieutenant Dixon took the Hunley down and successfully resurfaced  two-and-one-half hours later.  Nautical archaeologist, Christopher Amer explains "During months of practice the crew each evening would walk from their house in Mount Pleasant (it is still there), past Ft. Moultrie to Battery Marshall, the Hunley's base located at the north end of Sullivan's Island, and conduct "dry runs" going offshore as much as 7 miles before returning to base at dawn and walking back home for breakfast. Finally, on the evening of February 17, 1864 everything was ready, and the vessel attempted its first combat operation against an enemy vessel. The target was the 1200-ton steam Housatonic.

The Attack

In the late evening hours of February 17, 1864,  the lethal submerged Warcraft silently made its way through the murky offshore waters, slipping stealthily  through Breach Inlet,  propelling like a ghost towards its unsuspecting victim. The Housatonic watch commander, Mr. Crosby sited the fast approaching submarine and the night air was quickly filled with the sound of small arm gunfire.  The Hunley would not be deterred from its deadly mission and rammed the Housatonic with its explosive filled torpedo. The battle was over in less then five minutes as the once proud Union ship slipped beneath the waves. Only five survivors lived to tell the tale. The H.L. Hunley crew had no time for a victory celebration for like a bee that had lost its stinger the Hunley soon parished as well.

Photographs Division, Library of Congress