There is a monument on the grounds of the Hillsdale County Courthouse in Hillsdale Michigan that remembers the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history and it's link to Hillsdale. The S.S. Sultana was a steam ship that was bringing soldiers home at the end of the American Civil War. The 376 passenger vessel loaded over 2,200 people on board who were eager to get home after the fighting. A multiple boiler explosion killed an estimated 1,800 passengers and crew after midnight in the icy Mississippi River near Memphis TN in the Spring of 1865. 75 men from the Michigan 18th Infantry organized in Hillsdale Michigan lost their lives on this night.
Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos of the Sultana monument! My great great grandfather, Truman M. Smith, 8th Michigan Calvary Company B, was a survivor. This is a great tribute to those on board that fateful night.
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