The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, & Success in the Civil War

It's hard to say. Especially since the term referred to the Hunley murdering its Confederate crews.An excellent book, in its coverage of the remnants of myth and truth about the the Confederacy's "underwater torpedo boats". I recently became aware of a Confederate submarine (not covered in the book), that is currently being conserved by the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, and is due to be on permanent display in the museum in Baton Rouge, sometime in late 2002. It's origin is not known to this day, however, it predated the Pioneer I, the American Diver (Pioneer II), and the Hunley. It appears all four subs were designed in Louisiana, but the American Diver and Hunley were built in Mobile.The book tells the true story of the development and lineage of the Hunley. However, now that the Hunley is being conserved ( with a guesstimation of about 10 more years), many of the technical aspects are being found to be inaccurate, in the light of the daily discoveries during conservation.I recently viewed the Hunley movie prop ship, touring in South Carolina (see the Hunley website for details), that was built for the Turner movie "The Hunley". The rudder mechanism, and prop drive train has been found to be different, and all of the exterior rivets were ground smooth (as spec'd for the Pioneer I, which is covered in the book).The crews have been referred to as the Astronauts of the 1860's. The Hunley, and it's predecessors, are an incredible story in technology, and humanity. This book does tribute to its time in the history of this country.

This book is a must have for the Hunley addict. It is obvious Mark Ragan did his homework on this book. It contains a great deal of information on the contruction of the first successful submarine and the mishaps that plagued it. The photos and illustrations are great and many I have not seen before. You really get the feeling of the importance of this vessel and the dedication of the crew and the designers of the submarine. It is a shame this book has had very limited availability.It should be of great interest to anyone who has been following the recovery and preservation of this unique ship.

Have read everything I could lay my hands on about the Hunley and nothing could satisfy my craving for detail and plauseable speculation until this came along. Admitedly many of our unanswered questions will remain so. Others will yield to the scrutiny of scientists and historians in a Charleston Lab. Until then, we have this gem! Ragan is a relentless detective and goes peering into nook and cranny. Which of the two versions of the first sinking at the Johnson Island dock is the more credible? Its in here. What was a German artilleryman doing inside a sub and how did he get there? Its in here. Any leads on other previously unidentified sailors? Thats in here too! Dixon becomes more alive than ever and more than fulfills the almost mythic image of the Confederate hero. Chocked full of interesting and previously unpublished documents and photographs, this is THE authoritative account.

I am not a writer. Mark Reagan is a writer. Let me brief. This is a great book. I'm sorry it's out of print. After I first read it, I sent copies to my brother Ken who is a civil war enthusiast, and several more copies to friends who just like to read good books. Don't let the movie dissuade from readng it. As is so often said: the book was better than the movie. Hope you can find a copy.

Having researced the C.S.S.Hunley for over 20 years, I can truly say this is the most complete work published to date. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. Mark's narrative is very readable and his facts are well documented. If you are interested in knowing the true stroy, this is the book to buy.