Small Things: Utilitarian Objects from the Crew of H. L. Hunley

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Lives Revealed: Interpreting the Human Remains and Personal Artifacts from the Civil War Submarine H. L. Hunley" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley was lost with eight crewmen off the coast of South Carolina on February 17, 1864. As a hand-powered, short-range vessel, the boat was not designed to live aboard. The men carried only what they needed for a single excursion. Among the personal possessions revealed during the excavation of the sub’s interior in 2001, there were a number of small, utilitarian artifacts that, taken alone, seem unimportant, but taken together offer a window into the everyday lives of these men. Canteens, pencils, pins, matches, toothpicks, and thimbles provide insights into aspects of life including leisure activities, domestic skills, and supply shortages. This talk will provide an overview of these objects and tie them into the greater picture of wartime life in Charleston.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Lives Revealed: Interpreting the Human Remains and Personal Artifacts from the Civil War Submarine H. L. Hunley   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 518