Most people, even those interested in Civil War history, are unaware that the greatest maritime disaster in American history was the explosion of the steamer "Sultana" on April 27, 1865, on the Mississippi River with the loss of 1,800 souls. This Sultana was transporting recently released Union POWs from the infamous Confederate pens at Andersonville, GA, and Cahaba, AL back home. Through greed, human error, and bad fortune, about 2,100 soldiers and nearly 200 passengers and crew faced death by explosion, fire, or drowning when the ship's boilers blew up at 2:00 a.m. about seven miles above Memphis, TN.
Norman Shaw's presentation will describe the last journey of the Sultana and the factors that led to the tragedy. Included will be the story of the Union 3rd Tenn. Cavalry, comprised of men from the Knoxville area, which had aboard a remnant of 360 survivors from the war and Cahaba. Mr. Shaw's talk will conclude with a brief account of the work of the Sultana Association over the last twenty years.
The Middle Tennessee Civil War Round Table meets every third Tuesday of the month at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Membership applications are available at each meeting. Membership costs $15 per year for individuals and $20 for families. All meetings are open to the public regardless of membership status. Each meeting will include time for interested parties to share stories and memorabilia from the Civil War era with the membership.
For more information, visit our web site at http://www.mtcwrt.org or contact Jim Lewis at 615-243-6830 (before 8 PM) or by e-mail at mtcwrt@comcast.net.