He said that the museum now has crossed an important threshold in fundraising. 8. The last of the Southern survivors, and last overall survivor, was Private Charles M. Eldridge of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, who died at his home at age 96 on September 8, 1941, more than 76 years after the Sultana disaster. Volunteers showcase a handful of artifacts directly related to the disaster, a 14-foot replica of the steamboat and associated items from survivors, including … They had their annual reunions in different towns where the survivors came from or lived. Lisa O'Neal, a member of the Marion Chamber of Commerce and a lead advocate for the museum and history of the event, explained that onboard the Sultana was a pet alligator named Sal, who was cherished by the passengers and crew. April 27th 2018 marks the 153rd anniversary of the sinking of the Sultana in 1865. Fies, A. W. King, and G. N. Clinger, to prepare a suitable memorial and present the same to Congress, praying for a pension for each of the survivors of the lost "Sultana." Disaster On The Mississippi by Gene E. Salecker 1996. Those lost on the Sultana continue to be remembered. The Sultana was a steamboat with a regular route from St. Louis to New Orleans through the Mississippi River. More people died in the sinking of the steamboat Sultana than on the Titanic 47 years later, yet the tragic story is rarely mentioned in history books. The last of the Southern survivors, and last overall survivor, was Private Charles M. Eldridge of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, who died at his home at age 96 on September 8, 1941, more than 76 years after the Sultana disaster. The complier, Chester Berry, was one of the soldiers who lived through the disaster, and he collected statements from over 100 other victims for this book. Traci Brick and Rosalind O'Neal are interviewed on the video, and the news story attached to the video is excellent. 1902 Sultana Survivors Association. A monument erected by the survivors to the memory of the East Tennessee victims of the Sultana disaster stands in the Mount Olive Cemetery in Knoxville. When the boiler exploded, the Sultana sank, and an estimated 1600 passengers died. Thousands of men died in the On April 27, 1865, thousands of Union soldiers who survived horrendous prison conditions during the Civil War were released and on their way home, traveling down the Mississippi on the now infamous Sultana, a steamboat designed to carry just a few hundred. LOSS OF THE SULTANA - REMINISCENCES OF SURVIVORS CHESTER D. BERRY. On April 24, she reached Vicksburg and the crew discovered that the boilers were leaking horribly. History of a Disaster Where at the best online prices at eBay! *** 8. He enlisted in 1862, was captured in 1864, and then sent to the Cahaba prison camp in Alabama. The Steamship Sultana Distaster. The Sultana Tragedy by Jerry O. Potter 1992. Their 1888 reunion was in Hillsdale. By most accounts, almost a quarter of the passengers on the Sultana, and about a quarter of the dead, were members of the Third Tennessee Cavalry, and most of those were from East Tennessee. There were only about 780 survivors of the Sultana disaster - over 250 of these died, leaving approximately 550 who lived. On April 27, 1865 occurred one of the of the greatest marine disasters of history. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors. Survivor of the Worst U.S. Marine Disaster Late in April of 1865, the Mississippi River stood at flood stage. The Sultana's story currently is being told from a third location, at 104 Washington St. The Sultana, a Civil War era paddle-wheel steamboat, exploded and burned on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865. Sultana Disaster Survivor I donated this tintype to the Bedford Ohio Historical Society, so that it could be united with the book, Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors by Rev. American Civil War American History Common People Raising Brother America Civil War Us History. 8 Berry, Sultana , 46, 99, 114-15, 134, 149-50, 167-68, 253, 258, 325, 359-61, 374, passim (Berry's book is mostly a collection of reminiscences by survivors of the Sultana disaster. P. S. Atchley, Company K, 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, USA: The grouping consist if his walking cane standing 37 inches tall with the inscription Pvt. : A Tragic Postscript to the Civil War. An East Tennessee Sultana survivors' group met annually on April 27 (the anniversary of the disaster) until 1928, when just four survivors remained. Sultana expert and author Gene Eric Salecker, in his excellent book “Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865”, describes two trips made by survivors from Memphis, TN to Cairo, IL, a 170-mile journey on the Mississippi River. Records relating to the April 27, 1865, explosion of the steamer "Sultana," including lists of those aboard the ship. The Union soldiers who boarded the SS Sultana on April 24, 1865, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, must have felt as if their luck were changing for the better. Constructed of wood in 1863 by the John Litherbury Boatyard in Cincinnati, she was intended for the lower Mississippi cotton trade. “The purposes of the survivors was to keep the story alive. U.S. Civil War- USS Santana Explosion Disaster. List of Sultana survivors List of prisoners of war who perished onboard the Sultana “The Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors,” by Chester D Berry In his book Berry collected stories from survivors of the disasters including: Simeon D. Chelf "About two o’clock in the morning of April the 27t the boiler of the boat exploded. It was caused most directly by a boiler explosion that wasn't fixed properly, and the crowdedness of the ship did not allow for many survivors. In the last 3 articles we've asked the questions Why, Who, and What in regard to remembering the Sultana. On April 27, 1865 occurred one of the of the greatest marine disasters of history. The Sultana disaster is the worst maritime disaster in American history, yet few people have ever heard of it. On Christmas day, 1864, John Clark Ely shivered against the cold wind that blew through the small prison near Meridian, Mississippi. It also commemorates the worst maritime disaster in US history, even worse than the infamous Titanic.On Friday April 27th through Saturday April 28th, descendants and family of those that were on board that fateful steamer Sultana gathered in Alabama for the annual reunion to remember their loved ones and …