Vicksburg to Memphis

VICKSBURG TO HELENA AND ON TO MEMPHIS

April 23, 1865 - 9:00 PM... Sultana finally limps into dock at Vicksburg. Her chief engineer immediately went into town to hire a boiler mechanic.

Late evening… Vicksburg boiler mechanic examines Sultana’s leaking boiler and tells the chief engineer that proper repairs will take at least two days. Engineer tells mechanic to do the best he can as soon as possible so Sultana can finish her run and get more permanent repairs made upstream.

Captains Hatch and Speed decide, in order to expedite prisoner roll preparation, that the roll books from the confederate prisons, disorganized as they were, would be used directly at the loading dock to account for troops being boarded with proper union books to be prepared afterward.

Orders were then sent to the prisoner camp outside Vicksburg to get all remaining troops ready to go. Capt Speed reported to his superior, General Dana, that approximately 1,300 to 1,400 paroled prisoners remained to be sent home, but an exact number could not be ascertained due to the disorganized condition of the confederate roll books. It was later determined that the actual number was more than 1,960.

April 24, 1865 - Morning… Paroled prisoners are mustered to be transported into Vicksburg from the camps outside town for boarding on Sultana. Speed and his assistants continue hurried work on prisoner rolls.
Work continues on Sultana’s leaking boiler. Mechanic notices scorched metal in the area of the leak indicating that boiler had likely been operated with not enough water causing too much internal heat.
Chief engineer cleans the internal boiler tubes and reports them to be already fairly clean from their recent previous cleaning.

Not allowed by the chief engineer to make the permanent repairs he would have preferred to do, the boiler mechanic riveted a less costly temporary patch over the leaking area of the boiler.

Loading of troops proceeded throughout the morning hours, with more due in early afternoon. Much effort was exerted by all to get as many troops loaded as quickly as possible, some with honorable intentions and others with only personal gain in mind. Work on Sultana’s boilers continued at a feverish pace. By 4:00 PM the last of the prisoners were ready for the trip into Vicksburg. Capt Mason and Capt Hatch were both very eager to proceed and were doing their best to stonewall anyone who would slow the process. By 5:00 PM every soldier remaining in the detention camps had been sent to Vicksburg, and by mid-evening 1,960 troops were crowded on board Sultana as, in the words of one prisoner, “like damned hogs.”

April 24, 1865 - Evening… By 5:00 PM the boiler mechanic finally finished installing his patch on the leaky boiler. After 20 hours continuous work the patch was still only of temporary quality and the mechanic made that fact clear. Still convinced that the iron plating in the area of the leak was burned and the boilers had been used with insufficient water, the mechanic would not pronounce the boilers as reliably safe. He also declared that the chief engineer surely must be as aware of that fact as he.

By 6:00 PM every last man was on board and every available space on the boat was so crowded with troops that there was little space to even walk. It was all up to Captain Mason and crew now. At about 9:00 PM Sultana pulled away from dock at Vicksburg and headed out. After two short stops to load food and coal, Sultana was finally on her way upriver.

April 25, 1865 - By 1:00 AM Sultana was well clear of Vicksburg headed north. Foremost on the minds of all the former prisoners on board was that they were finally free and finally on their way home to friends, family and loved ones.

By daybreak it was obvious to all that river was running unusually high with swift downriver current made cold by Spring snow and ice melt. Drinking water was taken from the river by lowering a fire bucket on a rope. Some of the fire buckets were also used as chamber pots and the contents dumped overboard. Sanitation was difficult at best, and ‘calls of nature’ had to be handled in any way immediately available to the men.

Due to the extreme crowding men could also not freely access the few cooking facilities on board, so some who were nearby discovered they could use the hot boiler surfaces to cook their food. Others had to eat it raw and cold. Salt pork and bread were mainstays. The extreme crowding also made it imperative that the men stay in place and not move around as the boat was top heavy and could easily careen sideways far enough to take on water over the gunwales and sink. Even worse would be a combination of careening to one side, water level shifting in the boilers making for a sudden dangerous spike in pressure, and a weak spot on one boiler… a sure recipe for disaster.

April 26, 1865, Wednesday… Despite the extreme crowding, meager food and poor sanitary conditions, spirits among the soldiers was high. None doubted they were finally on their way home. About 7:00 AM Sultana approached the Arkansas town of Helena and tied up at wharf.

SCARE! Despite urgent warnings from boat crew and officers for the men to not crowd to one side of the boat, Sultana experienced an extreme scare as she careened dangerously toward dock as soldiers moved to one side to see the sights. The high river level had flooded most of Helena with residents able to get around only by boat. In spite of that a large crowd of Helena residents gathered at dock to see the strange sight of Sultana covered with such a massive load of men. Among that crowd was a young photographer who made what is known to be the last picture of Sultana before the disaster. At 8:00 PM Sultana set out again upriver and the men settled down to continue the trip.

Meanwhile, upstream in the Memphis area, the Union gunboat Pocahontas on picket duty had spent the day patrolling up and down the river systematically destroying small boats and skiffs of any kind or size that might possibly be used by confederate rebels for terrorist raids on union posts. Some raids of that sort had been occurring and were carried out by exploiting access from the river. As a result, later rescue efforts were severely hampered by lack of any kind of available boat by would-be rescuers.

April 26, 1865 - Evening... Close to sundown Sultana came in sight of Memphis and made her way to dock. She was cheered loudly by crowds of people along the city dock area and levees as she hove into view and slid up to dock at about 7:00 PM.
While Sultana unloaded some freight and took on a load of coal to finish the trip to Cairo, many of the men took the opportunity to go into Memphis to find food and stretch their legs.

Capt Mason and his chief clerk both described themselves as being extremely anxious to quickly finish business in Memphis and resume the trip upriver, the sooner the better. About 11:00 PM Sultana’s bell began ringing to signal her intent to depart. A number of men, approximately 200, stayed too long in town and missed the call to re-board and were left behind. Most were greatly distressed, but would eventually learn that they were indeed a very lucky group of men.

Directly after leaving the Memphis wharf Sultana made a brief stop to take on coal on the Tennessee side of the river, after which she swung out into the heavy river current.
During the time spent in Memphis, both First and Second engineers had kept a close eye on the boilers, especially the one that had been patched. Both reported that the patch looked good, showed no sign of leaking or strain, and appeared to be Ok. Good running steam pressure of about 90-100 pounds had been maintained while at dock.

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	VICKSBURG TO HELENA AND ON TO MEMPHIS
	April 23, 1865 - 9:00 PM... Sultana finally limps into dock at Vicksburg. Her chief engineer immediately went into town to hire a boiler mechanic. Late evening… Vicksburg boiler mechanic examines Sultana’s leaking boiler and tells the chief engineer that proper repairs will take at least two days. Engineer tells mechanic to do the best he can as soon as possible so Sultana can finish her run and get more permanent repairs made upstream. Captains Hatch and Speed decide, in order to expedite prisoner roll preparation, that the roll books from the confederate prisons, disorganized as they were, would be used directly at the loading dock to account for troops being boarded with proper union books to be prepared afterward. Orders were then sent to the prisoner camp outside Vicksburg to get all remaining troops ready to go. Capt Speed reported to his superior, General Dana, that approximately 1,300 to 1,400 paroled prisoners remained to be sent home, but an exact number could not be ascertained due to the disorganized condition of the confederate roll books. It was later determined that the actual number was more than 1,960. April 24, 1865 - Morning… Paroled prisoners are mustered to be transported into Vicksburg from the camps outside town for boarding on Sultana. Speed and his assistants continue hurried work on prisoner rolls. Work continues on Sultana’s leaking boiler. Mechanic notices scorched metal in the area of the leak indicating that boiler had likely been operated with not enough water causing too much internal heat. Chief engineer cleans the internal boiler tubes and reports them to be already fairly clean from their recent previous cleaning. Not allowed by the chief engineer to make the permanent repairs he would have preferred to do, the boiler mechanic riveted a less costly temporary patch over the leaking area of the boiler. Loading of troops proceeded throughout the morning hours, with more due in early afternoon. Much effort was exerted by all to get as many troops loaded as quickly as possible, some with honorable intentions and others with only personal gain in mind. Work on Sultana’s boilers continued at a feverish pace. By 4:00 PM the last of the prisoners were ready for the trip into Vicksburg. Capt Mason and Capt Hatch were both very eager to proceed and were doing their best to stonewall anyone who would slow the process. By 5:00 PM every soldier remaining in the detention camps had been sent to Vicksburg, and by mid-evening 1,960 troops were crowded on board Sultana as, in the words of one prisoner, “like damned hogs.” April 24, 1865 - Evening… By 5:00 PM the boiler mechanic finally finished installing his patch on the leaky boiler. After 20 hours continuous work the patch was still only of temporary quality and the mechanic made that fact clear. Still convinced that the iron plating in the area of the leak was burned and the boilers had been used with insufficient water, the mechanic would not pronounce the boilers as reliably safe. He also declared that the chief engineer surely must be as aware of that fact as he. By 6:00 PM every last man was on board and every available space on the boat was so crowded with troops that there was little space to even walk. It was all up to Captain Mason and crew now. At about 9:00 PM Sultana pulled away from dock at Vicksburg and headed out. After two short stops to load food and coal, Sultana was finally on her way upriver. April 25, 1865 - By 1:00 AM Sultana was well clear of Vicksburg headed north. Foremost on the minds of all the former prisoners on board was that they were finally free and finally on their way home to friends, family and loved ones. By daybreak it was obvious to all that river was running unusually high with swift downriver current made cold by Spring snow and ice melt. Drinking water was taken from the river by lowering a fire bucket on a rope. Some of the fire buckets were also used as chamber pots and the contents dumped overboard. Sanitation was difficult at best, and ‘calls of nature’ had to be handled in any way immediately available to the men. Due to the extreme crowding men could also not freely access the few cooking facilities on board, so some who were nearby discovered they could use the hot boiler surfaces to cook their food. Others had to eat it raw and cold. Salt pork and bread were mainstays. The extreme crowding also made it imperative that the men stay in place and not move around as the boat was top heavy and could easily careen sideways far enough to take on water over the gunwales and sink. Even worse would be a combination of careening to one side, water level shifting in the boilers making for a sudden dangerous spike in pressure, and a weak spot on one boiler… a sure recipe for disaster. April 26, 1865, Wednesday… Despite the extreme crowding, meager food and poor sanitary conditions, spirits among the soldiers was high. None doubted they were finally on their way home. About 7:00 AM Sultana approached the Arkansas town of Helena and tied up at wharf. SCARE! Despite urgent warnings from boat crew and officers for the men to not crowd to one side of the boat, Sultana experienced an extreme scare as she careened dangerously toward dock as soldiers moved to one side to see the sights. The high river level had flooded most of Helena with residents able to get around only by boat. In spite of that a large crowd of Helena residents gathered at dock to see the strange sight of Sultana covered with such a massive load of men. Among that crowd was a young photographer who made what is known to be the last picture of Sultana before the disaster. At 8:00 PM Sultana set out again upriver and the men settled down to continue the trip. Meanwhile, upstream in the Memphis area, the Union gunboat Pocahontas on picket duty had spent the day patrolling up and down the river systematically destroying small boats and skiffs of any kind or size that might possibly be used by confederate rebels for terrorist raids on union posts. Some raids of that sort had been occurring and were carried out by exploiting access from the river. As a result, later rescue efforts were severely hampered by lack of any kind of available boat by would-be rescuers. April 26, 1865 - Evening... Close to sundown Sultana came in sight of Memphis and made her way to dock. She was cheered loudly by crowds of people along the city dock area and levees as she hove into view and slid up to dock at about 7:00 PM. While Sultana unloaded some freight and took on a load of coal to finish the trip to Cairo, many of the men took the opportunity to go into Memphis to find food and stretch their legs. Capt Mason and his chief clerk both described themselves as being extremely anxious to quickly finish business in Memphis and resume the trip upriver, the sooner the better. About 11:00 PM Sultana’s bell began ringing to signal her intent to depart. A number of men, approximately 200, stayed too long in town and missed the call to re-board and were left behind. Most were greatly distressed, but would eventually learn that they were indeed a very lucky group of men. Directly after leaving the Memphis wharf Sultana made a brief stop to take on coal on the Tennessee side of the river, after which she swung out into the heavy river current. During the time spent in Memphis, both First and Second engineers had kept a close eye on the boilers, especially the one that had been patched. Both reported that the patch looked good, showed no sign of leaking or strain, and appeared to be Ok. Good running steam pressure of about 90-100 pounds had been maintained while at dock.

		To include your stories and other information in this site, Email us at Webmaster.
Comments, suggestions, additional info are always welcomed., Please contact: Webmaster