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Loss of the Sultana

Gelesen von Roger Melin

(4,389 Sterne; 18 Bewertungen)

April, 1865. The country was in turmoil. The U.S. Civil War had come to an end, thousands of Union prisoners of war had recently been released, and President Lincoln had just been assassinated. The steamship 'Sultana' left New Orleans on April 21st, traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi where it took on 1,965 federal soldiers and 35 officers, all recently released prisoners of war, most of them held at the prison camps of Cahaba (or Cahawba, near Selma, Alabama) and Andersonville (in southwest Georgia), and now finally headed for their homes.

The 'Sultana' arrived in Memphis, Tennessee on April 26th and headed north toward Cairo, Illinois carrying over 2,100 passengers, but designed for a capacity of only 376. At approximately 2:00 a.m. of the 27th, mere hours after the assassination of John Wilkes Booth, the 'Sultana' mysteriously exploded while steaming about 7 miles north of Memphis, killing over 1,500 on board (estimates vary). The sole reason this incident received such scant attention at the time, and ever since, is the fact that the country was understandably absorbed in the recent assassinations. Subsequent inquiry into the 'Sultana' disaster would uncover some startling revelations into its cause, some believe leading directly to the topmost levels of the U.S. Government. The loss of the 'Sultana' was the greatest maritime disaster in U.S. history, up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book, composed by Chester Berry, one of the survivors, is unique in that it gives firsthand account from well over 100 of the survivors of the tragedy in their own words.

Note - The online e-text (link provided) includes 3 lists for reference that are not included in this audio release:
1 - An official list of prisoners of war on the Sultana, including company served with
2 - Persons known to have been on board the Sultana, but not reported
3 - Name, Company, Regiment, and present (1892) residence of living survivors ( Roger Melin) (0 hr 26 min)

Chapters

Introduction

9:12

Read by Roger Melin

The Burning of the Sultana

3:30

Read by Roger Melin

Official Correspondance

27:32

Read by Roger Melin

N. Wintringer - Chief Engineer

6:00

Read by Roger Melin

Henry J. Lyda

1:18

Read by Roger Melin

C.W. Abbaduska

1:19

Read by Roger Melin

Hosea C. Aldrich

6:07

Read by Roger Melin

Daniel Allen

3:00

Read by Roger Melin

Hiram Allison

3:11

Read by Roger Melin

George Anderson

2:50

Read by Roger Melin

P.S. Atchley

3:03

Read by Roger Melin

Murry S. Baker

2:50

Read by Roger Melin

Otto Bardon

9:01

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Barnes

1:21

Read by Roger Melin

George Bement

1:15

Read by Roger Melin

Chester D. Berry

24:54

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Boor

10:16

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Bracken

1:35

Read by Roger Melin

James K. Brady

15:48

Read by Roger Melin

Joseph Bringman

7:09

Read by Roger Melin

A.C. Brown

14:36

Read by Roger Melin

Michael Brunner

2:50

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Carver

3:11

Read by Roger Melin

Abraham Cassel

1:07

Read by Roger Melin

Simeon D. Chelf

15:22

Read by Roger Melin

William A. Christine

2:53

Read by Roger Melin

F.A. Clapsaddle

2:56

Read by Roger Melin

George A. Clarkson

5:17

Read by Roger Melin

George M. Clinger

5:00

Read by Roger Melin

J.S. Cook

5:46

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Crisp

1:23

Read by Roger Melin

Ben C. Davis

5:30

Read by Roger Melin

John Davis

2:47

Read by Roger Melin

L.A. Deerman

6:52

Read by Roger Melin

J.W. Dunsmore

2:04

Read by Roger Melin

J. Walter Elliott

26:39

Read by Roger Melin

William Fies

19:09

Read by Roger Melin

Nathaniel Foglsong

12:35

Read by Roger Melin

Martin Frazee

1:20

Read by Roger Melin

W.S. Friesner

1:18

Read by Roger Melin

Henry Gambill

2:22

Read by Roger Melin

Daniel Garber

10:29

Read by Roger Melin

Stephen M. Gaston

6:43

Read by Roger Melin

W.N. Goodrich

6:47

Read by Roger Melin

N.W. Gregory

4:44

Read by Roger Melin

Samuel C. Haines

5:59

Read by Roger Melin

Ogilvie E. Hamblin

7:17

Read by Roger Melin

Robert N. Hamilton

6:20

Read by Roger Melin

Absalom N. Hatch

2:54

Read by Roger Melin

Jacob Helminger

7:15

Read by Roger Melin

William S. Hill

1:01

Read by Roger Melin

Wiley J. Hodges

2:26

Read by Roger Melin

P.L. Horn

7:26

Read by Roger Melin

Ira B. Horner

7:43

Read by Roger Melin

Jacob Horner

2:07

Read by Roger Melin

W.A. Huld

3:30

Read by Roger Melin

John H. James

1:21

Read by Roger Melin

C.J. Johnson

1:11

Read by Roger Melin

Lewis Johnson

1:22

Read by Roger Melin

Benjamin F. Johnston

3:51

Read by Roger Melin

A.A. Jones

12:15

Read by Roger Melin

Nicholas Karns

4:04

Read by Roger Melin

E.J. Kennedy

1:19

Read by Roger Melin

Rinaldon Kimmell

1:55

Read by Roger Melin

Albert W. King

9:52

Read by Roger Melin

George A. King

2:52

Read by Roger Melin

Hugh Kinser

7:50

Read by Roger Melin

Henry J. Kline

3:02

Read by Roger Melin

John H. Kochenderfer

4:41

Read by Roger Melin

C.J. Lahue

3:33

Read by Roger Melin

Adam Leake

2:22

Read by Roger Melin

Asa E. Lee

2:33

Read by Roger Melin

Wesley Lee

4:38

Read by Roger Melin

Thomas C. Love (alias Thomas Long)

4:35

Read by Roger Melin

William Lugenbeal

6:09

Read by Roger Melin

W.P. Madden

10:22

Read by Roger Melin

Jotham W. Maes

4:14

Read by Roger Melin

Jerry Mahony

3:07

Read by Roger Melin

Jesse Martin

2:42

Read by Roger Melin

Joseph H. Mayes

3:22

Read by Roger Melin

George B. McCord

4:40

Read by Roger Melin

L.W. McCrory

7:00

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. A. McFarland

10:24

Read by Roger Melin

Epenetus W. McIntosh

4:27

Read by Roger Melin

Daniel McLeod

5:34

Read by Roger Melin

L.G. Morgan

8:07

Read by Roger Melin

A.J. Mourning

0:55

Read by Roger Melin

A. Nihart

0:54

Read by Roger Melin

C.M. Nisley

5:52

Read by Roger Melin

John W. Norcutt

1:34

Read by Roger Melin

Albert Norris

4:07

Read by Roger Melin

Joseph B. Norris

5:05

Read by Roger Melin

J.E. Norton

7:02

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. H. Norton

7:16

Read by Roger Melin

Stewart Oxley

4:48

Read by Roger Melin

Thomas Pangle

3:49

Read by Roger Melin

Joshua S. Patterson

5:12

Read by Roger Melin

William H. Peacock

2:35

Read by Roger Melin

W.G. Porter

5:43

Read by Roger Melin

Samuel H. Raudebaugh

11:56

Read by Roger Melin

Christian Ray

4:02

Read by Roger Melin

George F. Robinson

9:50

Read by Roger Melin

Peter Roselot

9:33

Read by Roger Melin

Robert Rule

1:26

Read by Roger Melin

O.C. Russell

1:28

Read by Roger Melin

S.F. Sanders

1:48

Read by Roger Melin

C.S. Schmutz

4:44

Read by Roger Melin

C.G. Seabury

0:51

Read by Roger Melin

W.R. Shaul

1:26

Read by Roger Melin

I.N. Sheaffer

1:04

Read by Roger Melin

Payton Shields

2:02

Read by Roger Melin

A. Shoemaker

1:02

Read by Roger Melin

W.T. Shummard

2:43

Read by Roger Melin

J.L. Slick

1:24

Read by Roger Melin

Commodore Smith

9:46

Read by Roger Melin

Truman Smith

14:37

Read by Roger Melin

Edward Sorgen

1:31

Read by Roger Melin

M.H. Sprinkle

5:55

Read by Roger Melin

E.J. Squire

1:02

Read by Roger Melin

Joseph Stevens

16:37

Read by Roger Melin

George W. Stewart

4:43

Read by Roger Melin

Samuel Stubberfield

6:21

Read by Roger Melin

Perry S. Summerville

10:49

Read by Roger Melin

Wm. Thayer

1:27

Read by Roger Melin

Marian Thomas

1:05

Read by Roger Melin

Samuel J. Thrasher

4:17

Read by Roger Melin

Caswell C. Tipton

1:43

Read by Roger Melin

Wilson S. Tracey

0:58

Read by Roger Melin

Robert A. Trent

3:07

Read by Roger Melin

Isaac Van Nuys

9:19

Read by Roger Melin

J.W. Vanscoyve

3:02

Read by Roger Melin

Alonzo A. Van Vlack

4:46

Read by Roger Melin

Albert Varnell

2:50

Read by Roger Melin

G.W. Watts

1:12

Read by Roger Melin

William Wendt

4:22

Read by Roger Melin

M.C. White

7:56

Read by Roger Melin

Nathan S. Williams

6:07

Read by Roger Melin

William H. Williams

2:18

Read by Roger Melin

George N. Young

1:14

Read by Roger Melin

J.P. Zaizer

1:25

Read by Roger Melin

Bewertungen

History I never heard before

(4 Sterne)

Any budding authors will find plenty of information here to write the next "Perfect Storm": the end of the Civil War, Union soldiers being paroled from the systematic horrors of the Andersonville POW Camp, or days of waist-deep flooding in an Alabama POW Camp, looking forward to getting home. Mix together with a Presidential assassination, possible graft and kickbacks, overloaded boat, and an exploding boiler in the middle of the night... This book brings all the raw material, you supply the adjectives.

(4,5 Sterne)

it's really great to hear personal firsthand experiences even though a lot of them are alike

Such a surprisingly fascinating book. Very well read by R Melin.

(5 Sterne)