Dale Cox, in his Civil War Florida blog had an entry about the monument to the Confederate sailors who died aboard the CSS Chattahoochee in the boiler explosion on May 27, 1863.
The memorial is located near Blountstown, Florida just off the shoulder of the road one block south of the main entrance to the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee.
The Chattahoochee was on its way down the Apalachicola River to confront a Union Navy raid along the coast. After docking for the night, the boiler exploded the next morning while getting underway and 18 sailors were killed or later died from injuries.
The dead were carried by steamboat to Chattahoochee and were buried not far from the arsenal complex. The location of the cemetery was lost over time, but discovered a few decades ago during a construction project.
The Chattahoochee was raised and repaired. It was plagued by engine problems throughout its career. It was later sunk to prevent capture when Columbus, Georgia fell.
http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com
I saw that Catesby ap Roger Jones was commander of the Chattahoochee from July 1862 to February 4, 1863. He was the executive officer of the CSS Virginia and took over temporary command after Captain Franklin Buchanan was wounded in its fight against the USS Monitor.
Don't Go Near the Boiler. --Old B-Runner
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