151 Years After They Perished At Sea, Civil War Soldiers Buried At Arlington National Cemetary

One hundred and fifty-one years after the Civil War ship the USS Monitor sank off the North Carolina coast, two unknown crewmen found in the ironclad’s turret were laid to rest.

1. One hundred and fifty-one years after the Civil War ship the USS Monitor sank off the North Carolina coast, two unknown crewmen found in the ironclad’s turret were buried Friday evening at Arlington National Cemetery.

This 1862 photo provided by The Mariners’ Museum shows crew sitting on the deck of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.

Image by Uncredited / AP

2. The Monitor made nautical history when the Union ship fought the Confederate CSS Virginia in the first battle between two ironclads on March 9, 1862. The battle was a draw, but the Monitor prevented the Virginia from breaking the Union naval blockade.

Image by Anonymous / AP

3. The Monitor sank 9 months later off the coast of North Carolina and 16 sailors died. The wreckage was discovered in 1973 and in 2002 the ship’s rusted turret was raised from the ocean floor. The skeletons of 2 crew members were found trapped inside.

This undated photo provided by The Mariners’ Museum shows an overview of the USS Monitor’s iconic, revolving gun turret. The revolving gun turret is now being conserved at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA.

Image by AP / AP

4. Researchers attempted to identify the remains by reconstructing the sailors’ faces using their skulls and by comparing DNA from the skeletons with living descendants of the ship’s crew and their families.

Image by Carolyn Kaster / AP

5. They were unable to positively identify the men, though medical and Navy records narrowed the possibilities to six people.

Image by Carolyn Kaster / AP

6. What is known is that one of the men was between 17 and 24 years of age and the other was likely in his 30s.

Image by Louisiana State University

7. Their bodies were laid to rest Friday — the 151st anniversary of the naval battle that made the ship famous — in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Image by Carolyn Kaster / AP

8. “These may very well be the last Navy personnel from the Civil War to be buried at Arlington,” US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said last month.

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Image by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty Images

9. The burial ceremony was attended by families of those who died on the Monitor and who may be related to the two sailors.

Image by Alex Brandon / AP

10. “Today is a tribute to all the men and women who have gone to sea, but especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf,” said Mabus, who spoke at a funeral service before the burial.

Image by Alex Brandon / AP

Image by Alex Brandon / AP

Image by Alex Brandon / AP

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LINK

Read more about the USS Monitor's history, the discovery of the wreckage and the attempts to identify the two fallen soldiers.

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Via: news.nationalgeographic.com