In Memorium

 

Hunley Crewman lies in state at Richmond

 

Seaman Frank Collins, a sailor on the ill-fated but revolutionary Confederate submarine, CSS Hunley, returned to his state of birth for full honors in the Virginia State Capitol on Friday, March 26. Collin’s sedimentary remains* were delivered to the South Portico of the Virginia State Capitol at 9:00 am by a six-horse team and caisson. Trailing the caisson was a riderless Horse. The cavalry unit was the 2nd Virginia Cavalry, Company C from the Roanoke area. At the South Portico, Seaman Collins casket was removed from the carriage by the Color Guard of the William Latane Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, assisted by compatriots of the Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee Camp, and placed in the Old Hall of the House of Delegates for the remainder of the day.

 

The Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans conducted a special memorial ceremony at 1:00 pm honoring Seaman Collins, a native of Fredericksburg.  Presiding officer was Bragdon Bowling, Virginia Division Commander.  Commander Jeff Ellet of the William Latane Color Guard presented a moving historical lecture on the importance of the Hunley to naval warfare and the scientific innovations which made the Hunley the grand experiment that it was. Division Adjutant Brandon Dorsey read a statement honoring Seaman Collins with the Confederate Medal of Honor.  Division Chaplain Tim Manning provided for the spiritual aspects of the gathering.

 

During the ceremony, greetings were brought by Mrs. Dolores Smith, President, Virginia Division United Daughters of the Confederacy; Mrs. David Whitacre, 2^nd Vice President General, UDC; and officers of the Children of the Confederacy.  Proclamations by the Virginia General Assembly and statements by Governor Mark Warner were read.  Scott Boyd read a letter from the Mayor of Fredericksburg eulogizing Seaman Collins.  Moving musical interludes by the Williams Sisters and Heather Berry of Stuart’s Draft brought misty eyes to the assemblage, and their spirited rendition of Dixie brought the audience to its feet in appreciation.

 

On Saturday, March 27, the casket of Seaman Collins was on view in the Museum of The Confederacy before returning to South Carolina.  On April 17, the remains of all the Hunley crew will be buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. The funeral and burial of the Hunley crew will be one of the largest ever held in the South.  It has been estimated that crowds could reach as many as 100,000 for perhaps the last burial of Confederate sailors or soldiers.

 

Anyone desiring information on this event should contact Brag Bowling at 804-359-0382 or 804-389-3620, Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans.  For more information on the CSS Hunley and its crew, please visit the Hunley Organization at http://www.hunley.org.

 

* The Hunley Commission states that no physical remains of Seaman Collins will be in the casket. However, disintegrated tissue from the bodies of all eight crew members will be in sediment (i.e. "remains") sent for the memorial service.