Back on May 19, 2009, I wrote about the horrible Sultana Disaster at the end of the war.
As we approach the 145th anniversary of it later this month, I have some more information about it, gleaned from Wikipedia.
*** The explosion took place on April 27, 1865. It was known that the boilers were in bad shape and needed replacement, but that would take three days, so they were just patched.
*** The soldiers were mostly from Ohio.
*** The explosion took place 7 to 9 miles north of Memphis.
*** The exact death toll is not known, but estimated at between 1300 and 1900. The official count is 1547. Between 700-800 survived.
*** In 1888, a death bed confession claimed that the explosion was caused by a coal torpedo.
More to Come. --Old B-Runner
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