COMMANDER’S POSITION

Lieutenant George E Dixon took the Hunley helm forward of the lead conning tower, where the steering controls were located. Dixon, originally an infantry officer, had been wounded at Shiloh in April 1862, a Union bullet glancing off a $20 gold piece in his pocket, likely saving his life. Dixon had the coin inscribed and kept it as a good luck piece. In 2002, it was found between clothing folds as his remains were examined.