To: KYRESEARCH@rootsweb.com Subject: TIP 281 - A TRAGIC POST CIVIL WAR SHIP DISASTER - PART 1 TIP # 281 - A TRAGIC POST CIVIL WAR SHIP DISASTER - PART 1 On the morning of April 27, 1865, the world was shocked to learn that the steamship Sultana had sunk taking over 1,500 lives. Aboard on this crowded ship was paroled Union soldiers, crewman and many average passengers. The steamship was "taking on coal" at Helena, Arkansas when an explosion broke through the silence of the cold morning. It is said that an accurate count of the passengers was never known. The estimates ran from 2200 to 2300 people of who were on the death ship which was located approximately nine miles north of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River. After the weariness of the Civil War and the loss of President Abraham Lincoln, the war-weary citizens found it hard to realize that most of the paroled soldiers were from so many states, including Kentucky - many were Union POWs finally headed home at the end of the war from Andersonville and other POW camps. The government had offered shipping companies a fee for every soldier they carried north on the Mississippi. The Sultana, a 1,700-ton steamship with a capacity to carry only a few hundred people, crowded almost 2,500 soldiers aboard, and headed north for Cairo, Ill. When the Sultana exploded, there were no life boats or life jackets. I have tried to compile a list of the Kentucky soldiers aboard the Sultana by checking out at the library the books listed at the end and searching the web. I cannot guarantee that these are all the names, and my sources did not show the county of residence. However, since the outfit is shown, you should be able to obtain more information. My thanks to those who have tried to preserve the history of this fateful day. ALLEN, Robert, Pvt, Co. A, 6th Cavalry Killed ALLISON, R.C., Pvt, Co. D, 6th Cavalry Fate unknown ARNOLD, William T. Cpl, Co. B, 11th Inf. Survived ASHLEY, James King , Pvt., Co. L, 11th Inf. Survived BANFIELD, John P., Pvt., Co F, 3rd Cav. Survived BANKS, Jacob W., Sgt., Co. A, 3rd Inf. Killed BANON, George E., Pvt., Co. A, 3rd Inf. Survived BARNETT, James T.W. 2nd Lt., Co A, 12th Inf. Survived BARTLETT, Charles M., Pvt., Co. C, 6th Cav. Survived BEAN, Louis, Saddler, Co. A, 6th Cav. Survived BENDER, Nicholas, Cpl., Co. B, 4th Cav. Killed BOLIN, Alexander T., Pvt., Co. A, 4th Cav. Survived BONEUR, Matthew, Pvt., Co. F, 4th Cav. Survived BONHAGE, Henry, Pvt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Survived BRADLEY, George W., Pvt. Co. A, 7th Cav. Killed BRANON, John, Pvt., Co. B, 3rd Inf. Killed BRAUGHTON, James W., Pvt., Co.B, 6th Cav. Killed BRECKETT, B., Pvt., Co. B, 4th Cav. Fate unknown BROWN, Phillip M., Pvt., Co. I, 10th Inf. Killed BURNS, Patrick, Pvt., Co. K, 6th Cav. Killed CAMMACK, James, Pvt., Co. F, 6th Cav. Survived CARDEIRLLE, W.M., Pvt., Co. C, 7th Cav. Fate unknown CAREY, John, Sgt., Co. C, 4th Inf. Killed CARTER, Thomas E., Pvt., Co. A, 17th Inf. Survived CAYTON, William A., Cpl., Co. B, 7th Cav. Survived CHEATMAN, George H., Pct., Co. F, 6th Cav. Survived CHELF, Simon D., Cpl., Co. G, 6th Cav. Survived CLARK, Milton C., Sgt., Co. B, 28th Inf. Killed CLINGER, George M., Cpl., Co. E, 16th Inf. Survived COLEMAN, Davis, Pvt., Co. B, 6th Cav. Killed COLLINS, William, Pvt., Co. L, 4th Inf. Fate unknown COLVIN, Winfield Scott, Cpl., Co. F, 6th Cav. Survived COLVIN, James, Pvt., Co. F, 6th Cav. Survived COOK, John, Pvt., Co. A, 1st Light Art Killed COOK, William H.H., Cpl., Co. E, 2nd Cav. Killed COULTER, M., Pvt., Co. K, 4th Inf. Fate unknown COX, William H., Pvt., Co. L, 1st Cav. Killed CREEN, A.W. , Sft., Co. L, 7th Cav. Fate unknown CUMMINGS, Charles A., Pvt., Co. G, 1st Cav. Survived CUNEY, Charles C., Sgt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Killed CURNUTT, Elisha, Pvt., Co. G, 14th Inf. Killed CURREY, Michael, Pvt., Co. I, 4th Cav. Killed DABNEY, George, Pvt., Co. D, 6th Cav. Killed DAUGHERTY, Thomas, Pvt., Co. H, 6th Cav. Survived DAVENPORT, Seth H., Pvt., Co. G, 6th Cav. Killed DAVIDSON, Milton M., Pvt., Co. M, 3rd Cav. Survived DAVIS, Benjamin G., Pvt., Co. L, 7th Cav. Survived DAVIS, Milton P.W., Pvt., Co. F, 15th Inf. Survived EDWARDS, William H., Pvt., Co. K, 4th Inf. Killed ELDER, John L., Sgt., Co. K, 6th Cav. Killed ELKIN, James , Pvt., Co. A., 2nd Cav. Survived ELLIOTT, William, Pvt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Killed ELLIOTT, Uriah, Cpl., Co. C, 6th Cav. Survived ELMORE, Robert, Pvt., Co. A, 1st Light Art. Survived EMERICK, J., Pvt., Co. L, 18th Inf. Fate unknown ESGINN, W. , Pvt., Co. F, 7th Cav. Fate unknown EVANSBERRY, H., Pvt., Co. E, 6th Cav. Fate unknown FAVRE, James H., Sgt., Co. K, 5th Cav. Killed FIDLER, William H., Maj., 6th Cav. Killed FLUKE, Arthur W., Sgt., Co. C, 6th Cav. Killed FOLEY, Richard Jourdan, Sgt., Co. A, 3rd Cav Killed FOLEY, Patrick W. , Cpl., Co. B, 28th Inf. Survived FOLWELL, Marcus B., Pvt., Co. K, 4th Inf. Killed FOODS, A.H., Pvt., Co. B, 4th Cav. Fate unknown GALLAGHER, J., Pvt., Co. D, 4th Cav. Fate unknown GALLENER, Joseph, Pvt., Co. A, 4th Cav. Survived GAMBILL, Henry H., Pvt., Co. B, 14th Inf. Survived GAUPH, Louis, Pvt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Killed GILLEN, Henry, Pvt., Co. C, 4th Inf. Killed GOODPASTUR, George W., Pvt., Co. A, 7th Cav. Killed GRAY, George W., Pvt., Co. A, 4th Inf. Killed GREEN, Alexander, Sgt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Survived HALE, Nathan H., Pvt., Co. D, 6th Cav. Killed HALL, Roland T. , Pvt., Co. C, 2nd Cav. Survived HALL, James T., Sgt., Co. I, 6th Cav. Killed HAMILTON, Richard, Pvt., Co. C, 6th Cav. Survived HAMMONDS, John, Pvt., Co. A, 6th Cav. Killed HANDORF, John C., Cpl., Co. F, 7th Cav. Survived HARGETT, Whitfield, Farrier, Co. A, 7th Cav. Killed HARLEY, John N., Pvt., Co. H, 4th Inf. Killed HARPER, Edward L., Pvt., Co. G, 4th Inf. Survived HAYDIMAN, Thomas H., Pvt., Co. D, 6th Cav. Killed HIGDON, Charles T., Pvt., Co. C, 4th Inf. Survived HOBBS, Levi A., Pvt., Co. G, 6th Cav. Survived HOGAN, Edward, Pvt., Co. H, 4th Cav. Survived HOGLAND, John B., Pvt., Co. H, 6th Cav. Killed HOPE, Thomas W., Pvt., Co. A, 4th Inf. Survived HUGES, Henry, Pvt., Co. K, 6th Cav. Killed HUMPHREY, Benjamin, Pvt., Co. H, 4th Inf. Survived JACKSON, G., Pvt., Co. G, 4th Cav. Fate unknown JACKSON, James, Pvt., Co. B, 5th Cav. Survived JACOBS, Alfred N., Pvt., Co. G, 6th Cav. Survived JACOBS, John A., Pvt., Co. G, 6th Cav. Killed JOHNSON, Nicholas W., Pvt., Co. H, 2nd Cav Survived JOHNSON, Henry, Sgt., Co. I, 6th Cav. Killed JONES, Stephen, Pvt., Co. I, 6th Cav. Survived KENNEDY, Elias R., Pvt., Co. K, 4th Inf. Survived Sources: The Sultana Tragedy by Jerry Potter and Gene Eric Salecker' Disaster on the Mississippi. Various encyclopedias, references in Kentucky historical publications. (c) Copyright 9 March 2000, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Col. Sandi Gorin, 205 Clements,Glasgow, KY 42141 (270) 651-9114 - E-fax (707)222-1210 - e-mail: sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Member: Glasgow-Barren Co Chamber of Commerce Publishing: http://members.delphi.com/gorin1/index.html Barren Co: http://www.rootsweb.com/~kybarren/ TIPS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Tips KYBIOS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Bios ARCHIVES: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl ==== KYRESEARCH Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe, send message to KYRESEARCH-REQUEST@rootsweb.com and say unsubscribe in the message.