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Two
months after the end of the Civil War in June of 1865, many
Missouri families were tragically affected by the sinking of
the Confederate steamer, the SS Kentucky, on the Red
River below Shreveport, Louisiana. The following is an
abstract of articles and files referring to Howard County:
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An
Old Confederate Soldier Tells of the Last Company to Leave
Old Howard
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I
give you a list of the names of the last company of the
ex-Confederate soldiers and a short sketch of the history of
the last Company to leave Howard, as it was told to the
writer. Though many of that list had seen service in some of
the most noted battles of the war such as Pea Ridge,
Corinth, and Athens. This company was organized on Richland
creek near Richland church, October 10, 1864; crossed the
river at Arrow Rock on the 12; joined Tyler’s brigade of
unarmed men, Douglas’ regiment, Company F.
This
company was led by Captain James Carson, and when the roll
was called on Salt Creek, Saline Co, there were 80 gallant
young and middle aged men who answered to roll of which some
of the names are so faded they cannot be made out. Of this
company only 46 went through South; some were taken
prisoners, some killed, some died. This piece of a company
that served on the field of battle on almost starvation
rations, reached Texas about the 30th of
November, under the protection of old Pap.
After a short rest, joined (Pindall’s) battalion of sharp
shooters, Parson’s Brigade and marched to the front at
Shreveport and made Sam Morrison captain. This battalion
took charge of that city, built railroads and made
breastworks. Then came a day when Pap (Gen. Sterling Price)
came and said, “that we were whipped and would have to
surrender”. On the 7th of June ’65, was the
day when that devoted banner was taken down to never float
again as a nation’s color. The terms of surrender were
that all the soldiers be allowed their side arms and
personal property and transportation home.
Go paroled on the 8th of June, chartered the Kentucky
on the 9th of June ’65. This battalion boarded
the Kentucky and soldiers and boat crew numbering 690
left for the wharf at Shreveport at about 4 o’clock p.m.
and ran down river about 16 miles, when the boat struck a
snag on Tow Head island about 9 o’clock p.m., and the
alarm was given that the boat was sinking. She was run to
shore on the south bank, the cable line thrown out and made
fast around a cotton-wood tree. The cable line broke, there
being so much water in the hull and she settled back into
the channel about 30 feet of water with all her freight,
both soldier, mother and babe.
Out of this number only about 402 answered the roll call the
next morning, while all that escaped saved themselves by
swimming and being helped by other swimmers. Of this
company, 4 men were drowned and 5 had died with disease in
Texas and Louisiana, 37 was all that was left of the old
company. There was a large cotton boat that came to their
assistance a few minutes after the sinking of the boat, and
carried them back to Shreveport the next morning. They
remained in the city one day and then took passage on the Diana,
a large cotton boat to Baton Rouge, there took the oath of
allegiance and continued on up the river to St. Louis.
Reached St. Louis on the 27th of June as poor and
God forsaken looking mass of humanity as ever landed at the
wharf of St. Louis, having on the same garb they had swam
the river, some bare-headed and bare-footed. When it was
known to the city that the survivors of the Kentucky
had landed, the good people and sisters of charity came to
their assistance with provisions and clothes, and money was
furnished a good many to take them to their homes. What was
left of Company F left St. Louis about the 29th,
reaching their homes in Howard about July 2.”
Roll
of Company F:
James Cason, Captain
E.A.
Wilson, First Lieutentant
John
Robertson, Second Lieutenant
Orph Ashcraft
Arch
Ballew
B.J.
Ballew
Martin
Ballew
Neal
Blackwell
A.B.
Bobett
Enoch
Bobett
J.M.
Bobett
Marion
Burton
William
Burton (Ky victim)
Jack
Bush
Ben
Cason
Henry
Cason
John
Cason
Tom
Cason
Ben
Cooper (Ky victim)
Brice
Cooper
W.B.
Cooper
B.N.
Cropp
J.R.
Cropp
Joseph
Cropp
Mem
Cropp
Bent
Crowley
Tom
Crowley
A.J.
Ferrel
Johnson
Ferrel
Frank
Ford
Joe
George
Leonard
Grady
T.A.
Grider
A.
Grisham
Orth
Hall
J.L.
Heberling
W.M.
Jones
Josh
Lakey
Newton
Lakey
James
Mathes
James
Myers
Ben
Piham
Henry
Pyle
James
Reynolds
Sam
Sanders
Granville
Sartain
Henry
Sartain
Howard
Sartain
Hiram
Shipp
Joel
Shipp
John
Shipp
Logan
Shipp
Morton
Shipp
Robert
Shipp
Blaskey
Simons
T.B.
Smith
Jessie
Spence
Isaac
Stanley
Jasper
Stepp
W.M.
Stepp
E.D.
Tatum
J.M.
Taylor
J.S.
Taylor
Logan
Tooley
Harvey
Vivian
Henry
Wills
John
Wills
W.M.
Wills, Jr.
W.M.
Wills, Sr.
W.W.
Wills, Jr.
Crat
Wilson
W.A.
Woods
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The
Walton Family Story
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“…The
last voyage of the Kentucky started at 6:30 p.m. on
June 9, 1865. The Kentucky left Shreveport bound for
New Orleans with 900 passengers, baggage and provisions. The
steamboat had a length of 222 feet, a beam of 32 feet and a
depth of 5 feet 6 inches with a capacity of 375 tones. It
was built as a large, elegant packer for use on the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers and had the same layout as other
steamboats of the day.
The
main deck had four boilers mounted to it that fed two
high-pressure steam engines, and was fitted with guard that
extended the deck out from the hull to protect the paddle
wheels. The main deck served as the principal cargo desk
with the boiler deck above it where passenger accommodations
were located. A long, narrow cabin was centrally located
with 52 staterooms opening onto it from the sides. Each room
was furnished with carpets, chairs, a sofa, bedding, tables
and tableware. The sexes were separated aboard packet boats,
with the gentlemen’s salon located forward and the ladies
in the rear. Above the boiler deck was the hurricane deck
and the crew quarters, and the officers were quartered in
the texas on the next level. The pilothouse was atop the
texas, behind the chimneys.
The
biggest part of the 900 passengers were paroled Confederate
prisoners, veterans of the Missouri and Arkansas regiments
that had defended Shreveport. They were being taken to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, to take the oath of the government. Among
the passengers were Captain Anthony Walton of Glasgow, his
wife, Mary Winn Walton, and their six children ranging in
ages from four months to 18 years of age. (Shreveport
Journal, July 10, 1974). Mary and the children were crowded
into the “ladies’ cabin” on the rear portion of the
boiler deck with the families of some of the other soldiers.
The forward part of the main deck was packed with 250 horses
that the parolees had been allowed to keep after the
surrender.
After
traveling about two hours that evening, the steamer struck a
snag – a partially submerged log that the Red River was
notorious for. The boat ran for about four miles after it
began to leak but by the time the captain finally turned for
shore, the Kentucky had settled so much he could not
get close enough to the bank to put out the landing stage. A
line was run to shore but it broke immediately.
In
the New Orleans Times on June 15, 1865, a survivor described
what happened those last few minutes: “As the boat
careened, a great rush took place to the hurricane deck.
Many passengers were in their berths, and were saved almost
wholly destitute of clothing. A large number were caught
between decks and drowned. The ladies generally succeeded in
gaining the hurricane deck and were all saved. Some children
were lost.”
The
boat sank instantly with water washing over the hurricane
deck while the stern remained above water. In the
over-crowded decks below, pandemonium broke out as
passengers rushed for the hurricane deck. A large number of
people were trapped in the forward cabin and
drowned…Another steamer, the Col. Chapin, got word
of the disaster and it’s Captain, Stephen J. Webber,
ordered steam to be raised and set out in the night to
travel the 5 to 7 miles back downstream to help survivors.
When the steamer arrived at the site around 11:30 p.m.,
there were 400 to 500 people crowded onto the elevated
portion of the stricken Kentucky. Captain Webber was
able to get two lines from the shipwreck to shore and began
ferrying the survivors ashore in two small boats. The
Walton’s oldest daughter, 18 year old, Clemmie, made it to
shore with her infant sister Nannie’s gown clutched
between her teeth. Mrs. Walton and three other children were
rescued by the Col. Chapin’s boats. Her husband and
son were missing.
Reports
of the missing and dead ranged from 20 to over 200. Bodies
of the men trapped between decks were pulled from the wreck
for days after the sinking. Mrs. Walton’s husband and son
were never found and she and her five remaining children
made their way back to Missouri. Most of the Missouri men
were from the 9th Sharpshooters division with
others from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Cavalry and 10th, 11th and 16th
Infantry, Hooper’s Cavalry, Shank’s Cavalry and
Elliott’s Cavalry.”
Compilation from the files of Neil Block, Commander, William
T. Anderson Camp #1743 SCV; transcribed by Lisa Perry.
Information extracted from files and two articles to include
(1) Reprinted article “Away Back in War Days”, Pioneer
Times, October 1982, Vol. 6 No. 4, pages 409-410;
original is an undated and otherwise unidentified clipping
to the Editor of the Democrat-Leader, from the Scrapbook of
the Jefferson City Chapter of the United Daughters of the
Confederacy and (2) “Search commences for descendants of
Confederate soldiers (lost) in SS Kentucky shipwreck in
1865”, Monroe County Appeal, Paris, MO., Sep 15,
1997, page 11. |
