Civil War Enthusiast

August 29th 1863
Submarine Sinks

Recovering the CSS Hunley in 2000

The Submarine CSS Hunley was behaving quite well today in Charleston Harbor, as her crew took her out for several practice dives. At the conclusion of the last one, the ungainly vessel tied up at the dock of Fort Johnson, next to the steamship Etiwan. For reasons unknown the steamship pulled away from the dock without informing the sub of her intentions. The Hunley, with her hatch open so her crew could breathe, immediately rolled sidewise and sank. Only her commander, Lt. Payne, and one other man survived.

August 25th, 1864
Railroad Destruction

Reams' Station

Confederate forces under A.P. Hill had been reinforced and struck hard at the Federals engaged in railroad destruction at Reams’ Station south of Petersburg. Federal casualties were 2372, of which around 2,000 were listed as “missing or captured”. Hancock’s 2nd Corps suffered a clear defeat but in fact Hill’s victory was empty. Destruction of the Weldon Railroad continued apace, and the program to extend the Union lines further and further to the right were not disrupted in the slightest.