The National tribune., 1885-12-17
The Snltana nisastar

To THE EDITOR: The writer of this was
taken prisoner on Sunday evening, Sept. 20,
1863 at the battle of Chickamauga. / was
taken to Richmond and was in PembertOn Cas-
tie two months; l was taken thence to DAN
vile, where stayed six months, and went from
there to AndersoviHe, at which place l was
kept until about the 2lst Of March, 1865. Then
large number of us were taken out of prison
and sent across to Vieksburg. where we arrived
March q. At this place we remained in Pa
role Camp until April "a, when we received Or
ders for all of the paroled prisoners belonging
to the States of Ohio, Indiana. Michigan, and
Kentucky to take the train to Vicksburg, our
camp being four miles in the rear of the city,
as We were to take steamer that evening to
go North We were placed on board the Sui
tana. l think the list Of prisoners numbered
1864. with one company of the 5Sth Ohio and
two pieces of artillery as guard, besides cabin
passengers and boats crew.
We steamed out of Vicksburg between and
5 o'clock p. m. of the Oath. and reached Mem
phis little before sundown of the Goth, where
we tied up and unloaded quite number of
hogsheads Of sugar. The Sultana also took on
coal at this point. l think it was about 1890
or o'clock in the morning of the 9th that the
boat left Memphis. That was the last that
knew until after the explosion. had gone to
Sleep aud was on the hurricane deck at the
time. did not hear the report, but was
were running to and fro Some were scream
ing, some were praying, and others were shout
ing and telling the boys to keep cool. / tell
you it was hard place to keep cool, with the
flames sweeping all around. / first went to
the Arkansas side to jump overheard, but there
were too many in the water there for me.
then went to the Tennessee side and found the
same trouble. / started for the boats stern.
tearing off my drawers and shirt as I went.
Finding things no better there, I thought
would wait until the boat would float down
from among the men who We're drowning in the
water. just then stroug breeze drove the
flames SO close as to make it unpleasant, and
thinking it about as easy to drown as burn,
started for the bottom of the Mississippi. /
did not get quite there, but coming to the sur
face 1 started for shore. After swimming for
a long time, and being almost chilled to death,
l landed in the top of some brush to which 1
held till daylight when l saw a goOd-sized
sycamore log that had lodged in the brush
about 80 feet from where was. pulled my
self from bush to bush, as l was past swim
ming, and my legs were entirely numb from
cold. / reached the log after some Is or 20
minutes hard work and pulled myself upon it.
All the time l was holding on to the brush in
the water / could hear the boys that had got
into trees, as it began to get daylight, Growing
like roosters, and crying Here's your mule!"
1t was about o'clock before l was able to
crow. l was picked up by the U. S. picket
boat PocahOntas about 10 o'clock a. IN. April
27. The Captain Of the Sultana was picked up
by the same boat that / was, and he told me
there were about $3.50, all told ON the boat
when she went down.. B. NORRIS, Co. c,
51st Ohio, Wayne, Neb.