Forrest's '64 Railroad Raid-- Part 4: Sherman, Forrest, Hood and the SS Sultana

Atlanta had fallen on September 2, and Forrest was hoping to draw Sherman away from that city to go after him.  It didn't work.  Sherman was getting ready for his March to the Sea and Savannah.

Forrest hated Sherman and Sherman hated him.  

The Confederate general in charge of the Army of Tennessee, John Bell Hood, and Forrest did not get along at all.  At one time Forrest supposedly threatened Hood, saying that if he were any more of a man, he'd take him.  That was referring to Hood's loss of the use of one hand and loss of a leg in battle.  

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The Blacks captured at the Battle of Athens were made up mostly of ex-slaves from around that town.

Forrest burned the Freedman's Camp at the John Brown plantation.  John Brown, not the abolitionist at Harper's Ferry was a general in the Confederate Army and later Tennessee governor.

Blockhouses were made of wood.

Gene Salecker got interested in Forrest's1864 raid because many of the captured Union soldiers were aboard the ill-fated SS Sultana when it blew up and sank.  He has written a book about the Sultana titled "Destruction of the Sultana:  The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History."

--Old Secesh

Forrest's 1864 Railroad Raid-- Part 2: On to Sulfur Creek Trestle

Battle of Sulfur Creek Trestle.

After Forrest defeated Union forces at Athens and Fort Henderson, he  moved north along the railroad with the intent to destroy the strategic trestle at Sulphur Creek, six miles north of Athens.

There, Union forces had erected to blockhouses and fortifications.  There were 928 Union troops defending it including the 111th USCT and the 9th Indiana Cavalry under Col. Ely Lilly.  Rifle pits connected the various defenses.

Forrest surrounded the fort and had 8 pieces of artillery against the Federals 2 cannons.  Outnumbered and outgunned, Lilly surrendered..  Forrest burned the fortification and Union losses were 200 killed and 720 captured.

Union prisoners were transferred to Confederate prisons and many of them died on April 27, 1865, when they were returning home and on board the tragic SS Sultana.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CW Round Table Discussion-- Part 6: Prisons, Ernie Griffin and the Sultana Tragedy

**  The Civil War marked when the United States went from relatively small armies to really big ones.  At the same time, the number of prisoners boomed right along with it..  Neither side was prepared to handle this influx of prisoners.

**  For many years, Ernie Griffin operated a funeral home near the Camp Douglas  grounds.  He had a museum of sorts to the camp.  What was surprising was that Mr. Griffin was a black man.

I was at a re-enactment in Wauconda, Illinois, several years back and a man came up to me and wanted to know if anyone in the SCV would be interested in some Confederate items from Mr. Griffin's collection.

**  Montreal, Canada, was a hub for Confederate espionage operations.   Some of them involved freeing prisoners up North.

**  There was discussion about the SS Sultana tragedy in which so many just-released Union prisoners from Andersonville and Cahaba prisons were on their way back home when the ship sank.

**  The Union officer who caused the ship to be so overloaded in order to line his pockets with money was one Ruben Hatch.  He was a man who never missed a chance to enrichen himself.  He had friends and connections with Abraham Lincoln which saved his hide.

Grant knew Ruben Hatch and wanted him court martialed, but couldn't because of those connections.

--Old Secesh

The Sultana Tragedy

From the McHenry County Civil War Round Table.

On April 24, 1865, the riverboat Sultana left Vicksburg, Mississippi with as many as 2,100 released Union prisoners from Andersonville and Cahaba, 100 civilians and 85 crewmen.

To say the least, the boat was extremely overloaded and humanity filled almost every square inch.  The boat was six times over capacity which was 376.  At approximately 2 a.m. on April 27, seven miles north of Memphis, the ship's boilers exploded.

Lt. Colonel Ruben Hatch and other officers and businessmen were responsible for "The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History."

--Old Secesh

The Sultana Disaster at MCCWRT Tonight: One of the Biggest Crooks in the Union Army, Ruben Hatch

Tonight's presentation of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table will be at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois, from 7 to 9 p.m..  The library is located at 414 W. Judd Street.

Gene Salecker will present "Ruben Hatch:  Sultana Boarding Agent in Vicksburg for Prisoners Coming Home."

On April 24, 1865, the steamer Sultana left Vicksburg carrying as many as 2,100 released prisoners from Andersonville and Cahaba along with 100 civilian passengers and a crew of 85.  The ship was extremely overcrowded carrying nearly six times over its 376 capacity.

At approximately 2 a.m. on April 27, nearly 7 miles north of Memphis  it blew up.

Lt.Col. Ruben Hatch and other officers and businessmen are responsible for what is called "The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History."

--Old Secesh

McHenry Civil War Round Table Meeting Tuesday: Ruben Hatch and the Sultana Disaster

The monthly meeting of the McHenry Civil War Round Table will take place this Tuesday, August, 8 at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 Judd Street (just off the historic Woodstock Square) from 7-9 p.m..

Gene Salecker will make a presentation on Ruben Hatch:  Sultana Boarding Agent in Vicksburg for Prisoners Returning Home."

On April 27, 1865, the seriously overloaded Steamship Sultana exploded killing at least 1,192 passengers, mostly just-released Union prisoners of war, many from Andersonville.

--Old Secesh

John Peter, Co. K, 88th Illinois-- Part 2: Prisoner at Andersonville

John Peter took part in the Battles of Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and both battles of Franklin (I only knew of one battle there in Tennessee).

In the second Battle of Franklin, he and 50 others were recovering lost Union cannons from the field and were returning when they blundered into Confederate lines and were taken prisoner.

They were marched to Corinth, Mississippi and then by train to Meridian where they were held for a month.  Then, they were sent to Andersonville where he came through in good condition.  He was paroled and sent to Vicksburg for exchange and arrived just when word reached there of Lee's surrender.

He then returned to Illinois.  Obviously he was very fortunate to have not been on the ill-fated SS Sultana which was carrying newly released Andersonville prisoners when the disaster took place.

--Old Secesh

Some More on the Sultana Disaster-- Part 2

*** An East Tennessee Sultana Survivors Group met annually until 1928 when only four were left.

*** In 1982, an archaeological expedition uncovered what was believed to be the Sultana's wreckage.

*** Blackened deck planks and timbers were found 32 feet under a soybean field on the Arkansas side, about four miles from Memphis.

*** The Mississippi River has changed course several times since the Civil War. Today, the main channel lies about two miles of its 1865 position.

Something Most People Have Never Heard Of. --Old B-Runner

Some More on the Sultana Disaster-- Part 1

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

Unlucky Civil War Soldier Honored

May 19, 2009, Lexington (Ky) Herald-Leader.

Union Sgt. Lucien Wheatley certainly had the knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. First, he was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, then ended up spending 18 months at Andersonville Prison in Georgia.

He survived this, but at the end of the war, he was being transported back north on board the ill-fated Sultana when it exploded and sank near Memphis. His body was never found.

His family was prominent in Kentucky horse racing and they erected a small marker for him at the Old Episcopal Burying Ground on Third Street in Lexington. It was later shattered.

However, he was honored Sunday, along with other Sultana victims by the local chapter of the Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War who replaced the marker, had speeches, played taps on the bugle and fired rifles.


WORST US MARITIME DISASTER

More than 1700 deaths occurred on the Sultana (we'll never know how many because the vessel was so overloaded with weak former prisoners). It is considered the worst-ever US maritime disaster., more than US citizens on the Titanic.

The Sultana was registered to carry 376 passengers, but was overloaded because Union officers received kickbacks and about 2,300 boarded at Vicksburg. The captain had failed to repair a leaky boiler. Three of four boilers exploded leading to the disaster.

It received little press coverage because it occurred in April and there had been the surrender of Lee and Lincoln assassination.

An Event That Needs to Be Remembered. --Old B-Runner