Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley
Sally M. Walker
6-10 grades
In 1863 the Union army had the busy Charleston Harbor surrounded. The Confederate army was in desperate need of gun powder and ship making supplies. If they did not reopen the harbor they were sure to lose the war. The Confederate army needed to find a way to attack the Unions ships without giving warning.
Down in Mobile Arkansas, James McClintock, with the financial support of Horace Hunley, started to work on a design for a submarine. After two failed attempts work began on the Hunley. The Hunley’s job was to transport a torpedo to the enemies’ ship unnoticed. After several disasters the Hunley was sent to bomb the USS Housatonic. The Hunley successfully destroyed the Housatonic but it never returned home.
The Union went on to win the war but what happened to the Hunley remains a mystery. Over the years many searched for the Hunley but nobody succeeded until May of 1995. Just 1,000 feet from where the Housatonic went down the remains of the Hunley were discovered. Using modern science and forensics many of the mysteries of the Hunley and the crew is revealed, but why did the ship go down?
All of this will be explored in Secrets of a Civil War Submarine by Sally M. Walker. Walker explains both the history of the Hunley and the science of going through the wreckage. The text is accompanied by many colorful pictures to explore. The ease of this book will be fun to read for kids interested in history or science and forensics. Kewanee Public Library has a copy of Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley available in the Juvenile Nonfiction section on the second floor.
Sarah Barth, Kewanee Public Library, Youth Services
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