Civil War Confederate Army Officer. He was commander of the last crew of the Confederate submarine, "HL Hunley", when it sank 4 miles off the coast of Sullivans Island (Charleston), South Carolina, on February 17, 1864, after sinking the USS Housatonic. A native of Kentucky, he joined Company E of the 21st Alabama Volunteers. He soon met Miss Queenie Bennet of Mobile, Alabama, and proposed. They agreed to marry after the war. Queenie gifted the Lt. with a $20 gold piece which he carried everywhere for good luck. On April 6, 1862 during the Battle of Shiloh, he was shot point blank. A bullet ripped into his uniform and struck the center of the gold coin. The impact left the gold piece bent with the bullet embedded in it. Queenie's good luck gift had saved his life. He had the coin engraved: "Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life preserver GED." When the Hunley was raised in 2000 and excavated this very coin was found with his remains. While recouperating in Mobile, Alabama, he met Horace Hunley and James McClintock. Their dream of building a submarine became his dream and he helped build and pilot two of these ships. The second, christened the "HL Hunley", was piloted by Dixon on the night of February 17, 1864 when he and his crew were lost after sinking the "USS Housatonic". Lieutenant Dixon was played by Armand Asante in the movie, "The Hunley," filmed in Charleston, where on April 17, 2004 the remaining crew and Dixon, were reinterred in Magnolia Cemetery.
Civil War Confederate Army Officer. He was commander of the last crew of the Confederate submarine, "HL Hunley", when it sank 4 miles off the coast of Sullivans Island (Charleston), South Carolina, on February 17, 1864, after sinking the USS Housatonic. A native of Kentucky, he joined Company E of the 21st Alabama Volunteers. He soon met Miss Queenie Bennet of Mobile, Alabama, and proposed. They agreed to marry after the war. Queenie gifted the Lt. with a $20 gold piece which he carried everywhere for good luck. On April 6, 1862 during the Battle of Shiloh, he was shot point blank. A bullet ripped into his uniform and struck the center of the gold coin. The impact left the gold piece bent with the bullet embedded in it. Queenie's good luck gift had saved his life. He had the coin engraved: "Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life preserver GED." When the Hunley was raised in 2000 and excavated this very coin was found with his remains. While recouperating in Mobile, Alabama, he met Horace Hunley and James McClintock. Their dream of building a submarine became his dream and he helped build and pilot two of these ships. The second, christened the "HL Hunley", was piloted by Dixon on the night of February 17, 1864 when he and his crew were lost after sinking the "USS Housatonic". Lieutenant Dixon was played by Armand Asante in the movie, "The Hunley," filmed in Charleston, where on April 17, 2004 the remaining crew and Dixon, were reinterred in Magnolia Cemetery.
Bio by: Just another taphophile
Advertisement
