The Sultana Disaster

Dee Cody, a descendant of Daniel Garber who survived this disaster, says for those who are not familiar with the Sultana disaster, this was a steamboat built in 1863. The Sultana traveled up and down the Mississippi River between St. Louis and New Orleans carrying passengers, supplies and news. In April 1865, at the end of the Civil War, the steamship was charged with bringing home Union POWs from Andersonville and Cahaba prisons on their way to Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio. The soldiers boarded the Sultana at Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 21. A quick fix was made to one of the boilers which must have been having a problem.

Around 2:00 AM on April 27, 1865 the Sultana was 7 miles north of Memphis when the boiler exploded. Of the passengers, 1,164 to 1,800 individuals lost their lives including some women and children.

The Sultana Association is holding a reunion on November 13 and 14 at Marion, Arkansas to celebrate the opening of the permanent Sultana Disaster Museum. If you have a distant ancestor who survived or who was killed and would like to know more about this event and wish to attend or just want information you can contact us at:

Sultana Association: https://www.thesultanaassociation.com

Sultana Association Facebook: https://www.facebook/com/TheSultanaAssociation

Sultana Disaster Museum: https://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com

Sultana Documentary: https://www.rememberthesultana.com