Laid to rest, at last

U S Navy sailors carry the remains of two crewmen from the
USS Monitor for burial at Arlington National Cemetery - click to enlarge
Photo: AP

  151 years ago the USS Monitor sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic off the coast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina.  Famous for being a part of the first battle between two ironclads, she fought bravely against the CSS Virginia also known as the Merrimack.  16 crewmen went down with the ship.
  While bringing up the turret the remains of two men were recovered.  Although the remains were sent to the Navy lab in Hawaii which identifies many bodies and remains they remain unknown.  There is a 50% chance that one of the men may be William Bryan, whose great-great-great nephew lives here in a neighboring town.  He gave a DNA sample to the Navy lab, and he and his daughter will attend the burial ceremony.

The sailor circled in red is William Bryan.
Photo: U S Navy

William Bryan and his brother James immigrated from Scotland shortly before the Civil War and settled in two different parts of the United States.  James Bryan died while fighting for the Confederate Army.

  Andrew Bryan of Holden, Maine holds a book about the Monitor, his great-great-great Uncle William Bryan may be one of the crewmen whose remains were recovered from the sea.

Raising the turret of USS Monitor - click to enlarge
Photo: NOAA via National Geographic

And a final thought:  Click to enlarge