Confederate Sailor Buried in Alabama

Written by Bob Dill

Aug 08, 2007 at 12:00 AM

SCV Reenacters Bury Confederate Sailor. The remains of a Confederate Sailor, a member of the crew of the CSS Alabama, were buried Saturday, July 28, in a handmade wooden coffin in Mobile, Alabama. The coffin, mounted on a horse-drawn caisson was accompanied by members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who were holding their annual convention in Mobile. The funeral procession began downtown at the site of the statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes, who was the commanding officer of the CSS Alabama. The procession ended at Magnolia Cemetery where the sailor was buried. The Confederate warship was sunk in the English Channel off the coast of France on June 19, 1864, by the Union warship USS Kersarge. The CSS Alabama had a crew of about 120 members and most were rescued, but about a dozen drowned in about 200 feet of water or were never found. The unidentified remains were recovered along with more than 400 artifacts several years ago from the shipwreck at the bottom of the English Channel. Members of Camp 36, 16th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers from Greenville attended the SCV Convention in Mobile and participated in the memorial services for the Confederate sailor.