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Civil War Soldiers Laid To Rest 150 Years Later (1350l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2

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Civil War Soldiers Laid to Rest 150 Years Later (1350L)

of wooden warships and the move to ironclad ones. The two ships traded point-

Notes on my thoughts,

blank shots at each other in the Battle of Hampton Roads before both

reactions and questions as I

read:

withdrawing from the fight, each crew thinking the other had either been sunk or

damaged enough to retire.

On December 30, 1862, the Monitor was caught in a storm while being towed

off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Although equipped with various engines and

pumps, the ship couldn't keep up with the volume of water rushing in, and it

sank to the bottom with 16 sailors.

The Monitor went undetected until 1973. The two crew members' remains were

discovered in 2002 some 240 feet below the surface in the ship's 120-ton turret.

Due to the location of the remains, it's possible the two were trying to get out

through the gun turret when the ship went down. In addition to the remains in

the turret, there were shoes, coats, boots and other personal items -- as if the

crew members had been discarding clothing to keep from being pulled down

into the water as they tried to escape.

As they narrowed down the men's identities, investigators were able to eliminate

African-American sailors and officers. The bones were Caucasian, and the

buttons were not from officers' coats.

More than 30 living descendants of the crew were to attend the Arlington burial.

Because the remains are being buried as unknown, these two men will represent

all 16 lost.

"The definition of family in this particular case is a little different than in a

contemporary casualty loss," Krop said. "They view them as their ancestors, and

they are there to honor all 16."

David Alberg, superintendent of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, said the burials are part of

a long military tradition.

"Whether it was 150 years ago or two weeks ago in Afghanistan, the nation's

commitment to bringing (its) fallen home, laying them to rest and returning them

to their families stays as strong today as it ever was."

Capt. Bobbie Scholley, who led Navy divers to the wreckage, agreed.

"We needed to take all the appropriate steps necessary to recover those sailors

with all the honors and dignities," Scholley said.

Starr, B., Civil War soldiers laid to rest 150 years later, CNN News, March 8, 2013.

Civil War Soldiers Laid To Rest 150 Years Later (1350l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2