Gee I don't know why I took so long to read all this. I was interested in the Hunnley ever since as a kid, I saw the episode about it in JKF's Profiles In Courage (written by Salinger actualy we know know...) But anyway... As to the confederate flag, as a radical lawyer, though not high paid, as you all know from earlier posts... I think there is a huge difference in draping their coffins with the flag for which they fought, then there is flying a flag of session over a state capitol. I think it would be very appropriate to have a funneral with both Confederate and Union uniforms to honnor the step forward in US military technology to which their bravery led.
As the the questions about the Fennian Ram, the song is not fiction, though it is not accurate. The Ram, or the Holland 6 was built in NYC on 18th street, or west 16th Street, I forget. It is presently on display in Patterson NJ. It was stolen from Holland by the fenians who paid him to build it, when it was about to be taken by the British when the British purchased and foreclosed on Holland's debts. Holland was not a big Republican, though he was not fond of England. The Fenians sank the sub while trying to learn how to work in, in the Patterson river. It was raised in 1916 and put on display at a fund raiser to rebuild Dublin after England's bombardment of the town by the light cruiser Helga. It had a compressed air torpedo tube and had successfully sunk a barge purchased for the purpose of testing torpedos. Holland went on to design the first generation of US military subs. I don't believe he was the Holland who engineered the Holland tunnel, but I may be worng.
Best to all
Larry