Did everyone see the "Digging for the Truth" show on the H.L. Hunley last night? I don't know if you can reach any definitive conclusions from the show, but I was interested in some of the archaeological evidence. The fact that the bones of the men were found in their rowing/cranking positions, I found fascinating. I would think if the men died from drowning and were conscious, their last moments would have been a frantic struggle to get to the two hatches. The location of the bodies, tends to make me think they were unconscious at the time of their deaths. I hope this is the case.

I still can't get over eight men getting in a pipe, 4-1/2' by 3' and a little over 20 feet long, in which two crews had already died and rowing out four miles to attack an enemy ship in the night. I'm a little claustrophobic and the thought of doing this makes me break out in a sweat. I also thought the information about how much energy these men burned, the possibility of carbon dioxide poisoning and how long it would take to "crank" the four miles out to the Housatonic was interesting. In spite of their poor diets, pipe smoking, etc., they accomplished this feat, these were tough guys. I'd like to take a modern group of athletes and give them the same task and see how the performed.

These men deserve to be remembered, both the final crew and the two that died prior to the successful attack on the Housatonic. If you ever doubt the commitment of the Confederate soldier and their belief in their cause, all you have to do is read the story of the Hunley.

Jim