![]() The plans never came to fruition.Īs the funeral date approached, 14 southern governors were invited to share in the tributes to the Hunley, but none came. When plans were discussed to have the Hunley dead lie in state at the capitol in Columbia, an honor afforded on only the rarest of occasions in South Carolina, Darby and others complained. "They fought for one of the most odious causes possible: slavery," he said. Darby, whose ancestors were South Carolina slaves, called the Hunley's crew "terrorists" and compared them to the bombers who attacked the USS Cole. Joe Darby, an African Methodist Episcopal pastor and NAACP leader, left town by the "grace of God" for a speaking engagement in Nashville. Its leaders shunned the festivities and denounced its purposes. The faces around the Schmitzes, as they struggled to pitch their tent, were almost all white. I think it means I want to honor my ancestors." "They think it means that I hate black people. ![]() "I'm not mean," she says, lifting her pants leg to show her socks. They, like so many southerners - black and white - are offended by the flag. The kids who chastised her are black, and they saw her footwear as a sign of racism. The vice principal told her to take them off, and the kids on her bus called her names. ![]() Schmitz's daughter, a 14-year-old named Grace with a grown-up's confidence, wore her favorite socks to school one day, the ones with the Confederate flag patch. ![]() "We're always fighting defensive battles." "It's a cultural war," said Charlie Schmitz, a patent lawyer from Picayune, Miss. These are days when the rebel lovers feel boxed in, and they vented their frustrations, even as they saluted their dead. They camped in tents out on the point, where the tourist boats leave for Fort Sumter, and fretted about Confederate battle flags coming down throughout the South, about schools where a T-shirt bearing the Stars and Bars is grounds for suspension. Their funeral was billed as the last Confederate burial, and it drew Confederate reenactors from throughout the South, each with their stories of great-granddaddies who battled the Yankees at Chickamauga or lost their legs at Gettysburg. They were eulogized as heroes on the banks of those waters, compared to astronauts because their pioneering submarine was the first to sink a ship in battle, lauded as defenders of Charleston against the enemy from the North. The crew of the CSS Hunley gave southern rebels a brief moment of glory before disappearing beneath the waters of Charleston Harbor. The masses pinched into Charleston's cobbled Battery district, thousands of them in their replica Confederate grays and their flouncy bonnets, gathered for a staggering outpouring of reverence and affection for eight men they never met. Lee had been here on this bright and breezy Saturday morning, he surely would have been proud. Little boys, too short to haul a musket, clattered tin cups against the sidewalk and solemnly saluted as the caissons rolled by. Matronly ladies hid demurely behind black veils. Old men with beards as long as their memories fussed over brass buttons and scrunched kepis, artifacts of their ancestral Confederate legacies. For more information, check out the submarine's website.The sun rising over Fort Sumter, where the war the South cannot forget began, glinted off thousands of bayonets. Once you arrive, you'll find plenty of parking. The most efficient way to reach the old Charleston Naval Base is to drive. Tickets can be ordered online or purchased at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. to 3 p.m.Īdmission costs $18 for adults and $10 for kids 6 to 12. It welcomes visitors Saturday from 10 a.m. The facility is not open to the public on weekdays, as that's when scientists examine the vessel. Hunley Confederate Submarine and the old Charleston Naval Base are located nearly 7 miles north of downtown Charleston. After a 20-minute overview, visitors can explore on their own. The experience features interactive exhibits and activities, which recent visitors found fascinating. Today, you can visit the base and tour the submarine an experience that many recent visitors said is well worth your time, especially if you're interested in naval history. In 2000, the Hunley and the remains of its crew were brought to the surface for a detailed restoration at the old Charleston Naval Base. It was suddenly lost at sea in 1864 and remained so until 1995 when it was discovered off the coast of Sullivan's Island with the help of thriller author Clive Cussler. Hunley became the world's first successful combat submarine. Originally built in 1863 for the Confederate Army, the H.L.
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