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.  

*******************************

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

No One Had Heard of the SS General Lyon Disaster

Last night I attended the McHenry County Civil War Round Table meeting in Woodstock and before the meeting talked with several members and mentioned the SS General Lyon tragedy.

Like me, no one had ever heard of it either.  And these people are avid Civil War buffs.

Now that the Sultana's story is becoming better known (they had all heard of it) perhaps this would be a good time for someone to write a book about it.

I was unfamiliar with it myself until yesterday.

--Old Secesh

The General Lyon Disaster

From Wikipedia.

We are coming up on the 150th anniversary of this tragic sinking off North Carolina's Cape Hatteras.  The Army Transport steamer was loaded with Union soldiers and evidently some former prisoners as in the case of James O'Rorke who was listed in one source as being from Andersonville prison camp.

One recently discharged Illinois regiment, the 56th Illinois,  lost all but five of its 205 members.  Deaths are put at 500, making it one of the worst U.S. maritime disasters.

Another ship returning former Union prisoners is a little more famous, the SS Sultana,  It sank a few weeks later in the Mississippi River resulting in even more deaths.

Just imagine yourself looking forward to returning home and reuniting with family and loved ones and being this close, having survived the harsh conditions of war, and then dying.

Of course, these two disasters were quickly overshadowed by Lee's surrender and Lincoln's assassination.

--Old Secesh

Family Effort Results in Finding a Civil War Ancestor: Victim of General Lyon Disaster

From the October 4, 2014, Ogle County (Illinois) News "Family Effort results in service for Civil War victim" by Andy Colbert.

At a Memorial Day service at Oregon's Riverside Cemetery, John and Sandy O'Rorke learned of Civil War veteran James Butterfield of Rochelle who died on the S.S. Sultana disaster at the end of the war.  They already knew that they had a Civil War veteran from Rochelle who had died on a sinking ship.

Could this be him?

Local historian Otto Dick researched and found that O'Roark's relative was on a different ship that sank off of Cape Hatteras.  That relative was James O'Roark of the 92nd Illinois who served 1862-1865.  In the final year of the war, he was at the Confederate prison Andersonville.

Upon release, he was put on the steamer General Lyon bound for New York.  It exploded and all aboard died, including O'Roark.

More to Come.  --Old secesh

147th Anniversary of SS Sultana Disaster

Overlooked back then and still overlooked now, especially with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, is the explosion and sinking of the SS Sultana in the Mississippi River near Memphis.  More than 1800 died, 300 more than the Titanic.

And what makes it even more sad is that the ship was loaded with Union soldiers returning from Confederate prisons (many from Andersonville).  these men had to live through that ordeal and were just days from seeing loved ones again.

I'll be writing about it tomorrow on my Naval Blog.  And a big thanks to the Minneapolis Star Tribune to alerting me to it.

A Sad Anniversary.  --Old Secesh