305 Loss of Steamboat "Sultana", April 27, 1865: America's Worst Maritime Disaster
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The steamboat “Sultana” exploded in the middle of the Mississippi River at 2:00 a.m., April 27, 1865. The boat was heavily overloaded with almost 2,100 former Union POWs, men who were on their way home after surviving the war and Confederate prisons. The death toll was nearly 1200. A tragic event almost lost to history; this is their story. The soldiers came from mainly mid-western states, such as Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, but surprisingly about 400 came from Tennessee. Most of the Tennessee soldiers were from Knox County and the surrounding area, having served in the U.S. Third Tennessee Cavalry.
Norman Shaw
Norman Shaw graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1972 with a degree in political science and history. The following year he graduated with a degree in public administration, also from the University of Tennessee. In 1979 he graduated from the Memphis State School of Law. He was the founder of the Civil War Roundtable in 1983 and served three terms as president of the group.