Franklin in Williamson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Battle of Franklin, Aftermath
Union POWs and the Sultana Disaster
Photographed By Brandon Stahl, April 26, 2017
1. Battle of Franklin, Aftermath Marker
Inscription.
Battle of Franklin, Aftermath. Union POWs and the Sultana Disaster. More than 700 Union soldiers were made prisoners before, during, and after the Battle of Franklin. Although the war was almost over, many of them would never see their homes again. The vast majority were taken to prison camps in Cahaba, Alabama, and the infamous Andersonville stockade in Georgia. In April 1865, Confederate authorities paroled the survivors, most of whom were barefoot, sick, and malnourished. Some still suffered from wounds received at Franklin. Severe food shortages at the camps reduced several of them to less than 100 pounds (45kg). Transferred to Vicksburg, Mississippi, the soldiers filed onto steamboats for the final voyage north., The Sultana, a wooden paddlewheel vessel with recently repaired leaky boilers, was one of the transports. It was designed to hold 376 passengers and crew, but to maximize profits and to accommodate those who were desperate to return home, officials jammed about 2,400 people on board., On April 27, near Memphis, Tennessee, Sultana’s boilers exploded, wrecking part of the ship and tearing men apart. Within minutes, flames engulfed the decks. Countless soldiers were burned alive, some were crushed to death, and others fell into the freezing waters and drowned. Approximately 1,700 passengers, about 75 percent of those on board, perished. Many of the recovered bodies were buried in the Memphis National Cemetery. Among the dead were 173 soldiers captured during the Franklin Campaign. To date, the Sultana explosion is the deadliest maritime disaster in United States history., “I saw many men mangled, some with arms and legs broken, others scalded and screaming in their agony… some crying or praying, some jumping in the water to escape from the fire and drowning.”, Pvt. Peter Roselot, 50th Ohio Infantry, survivor
More than 700 Union soldiers were made prisoners before, during, and after the Battle of Franklin. Although the war was almost over, many of them would never see their homes again. The vast majority were taken to prison camps in Cahaba, Alabama, and the infamous Andersonville stockade in Georgia. In April 1865, Confederate authorities paroled the survivors, most of whom were barefoot, sick, and malnourished. Some still suffered from wounds received at Franklin. Severe food shortages at the camps reduced several of them to less than 100 pounds (45kg). Transferred to Vicksburg, Mississippi, the soldiers filed onto steamboats for the final voyage north.
The Sultana, a wooden paddlewheel vessel with recently repaired leaky boilers, was one of the transports. It was designed to hold 376 passengers and crew, but to maximize profits and to accommodate those who were desperate to return home, officials jammed about 2,400 people on board.
On April 27, near Memphis, Tennessee, Sultana’s boilers exploded, wrecking part of the ship and tearing men apart. Within minutes, flames engulfed the decks. Countless soldiers were burned alive, some were crushed to death, and others fell into the freezing waters and drowned. Approximately 1,700 passengers—about 75 percent of those on board—perished. Many of the
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recovered bodies were buried in the Memphis National Cemetery. Among the dead were 173 soldiers captured during the Franklin Campaign. To date, the Sultana explosion is the deadliest maritime disaster in United States history.
“I saw many men mangled—some with arms and legs broken, others scalded and screaming in their agony… some crying or praying, some jumping in the water to escape from the fire and drowning.”—Pvt. Peter Roselot, 50th Ohio Infantry, survivor
Location. 35° 54.372′ N, 86° 51.613′ W. Marker is in Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County. Marker can be reached from Eastern Flank Circle, 0.4 miles south of Lewisburg Pike (Business U.S. 431), on the right when traveling west. Located in Eastern Flank Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1345 Eastern Flank Cir, Franklin TN 37064, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More than 1,700 (75 percent) of about 2,400 passengers perished when Sultana exploded and burned. In comparison, 1,517 passengers and crew out of 2,202 (about 69 percent) died in the RMS Titanic disaster 47 years later.
Library of Congress
5. Memphis National Cemetery, 1906 photo
6. Deaths on the Sultana by Unit
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. This page has been viewed 396 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 18, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.