The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-09-13
SINKING OF THE RUNIAN.
One Hundred and Fifty Lives Lost.

EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: In reply to
Comrade f. Fasset, Co. II, 10th Mo- Cav, in re-
gard to the sinking of the steamer B. NJ Run
ian, will say that | was on the boat that
night, and have memoranda of the occur
renee, and will never forget it. The dismount-
ed men of our regiment, wagons, mules,
arms clothing, company books, besides the
wives of several comrades and a number of
refugee women and cabin passengers, were on
board. We left Vicksburg in the night July
90, 1864 at 10 o'clock, bound for Memphis;
passed Milliken's Bend on the DIST, and Lake
Providence at about II NJ same day. The boat
was crowded and was so hot below that most of US
were on the hurricane deck. We had been form
ed in line several times on q report of guerril-
las attempting TO fire on us, butt proved false
alarm. The boys got tired of it. was sleep
ing with Seth Strickland on the left side of the
boat and forward Of the bell on the hurricane
deck, l heard some one calling out: "Get up,
boys; the boat is sinking!" 1t was the Captain
of the steamer; but some of the boys told him
to GO to -, thinking some one wanted to
fool US.
l raised up on my elbow to look over the
side of the boat. 1t was q bright moonlight
night; but in an instant the steam came up
from the boilers. punched my comrade, and
in about four minutes | was standing waist
deep in water on the hurricane deck. had on
nothing but my shirt and drawers, and about
all of us were in the same fix. A large snag
had torn through the bow and passed up the
stairway. The boat first eareened from side to
side in settling, and the boys would run first to
one side and then the other nearly capsizng
her. The Captain called to us to stand fast,
but it did no good l gave my saddle-pOckets to
Serg't Sanfost to hold for me, and went back to
the wheel-house to keep the boys from jumping
off. Those that could swim staid on the boat,
while the ones that could not jumped off, aud
most of them were drowned
While back on the stern of the boat some one
said to me: Come and help get some ladies
out of the cabin" We broke in the windows,
pulled them out, and swan to the yawl with
them. We got out seven, think. / got into
the yawl and was pulling a bow-oar, when a
soldier with a woman in his arms clutChed
the side of the yawl and asked them to take
the woman in. A citizen sitting in the stern
tore his hand loose and showed him back, say
ing, The yawl is full; you can't get in here"
He came up again and begged piteously for
them to take his wife in. When he spoke l
knew it was old man Lecop and his wife, of our
company. ! sprang on the side of the yawl
with my oar over my head, and told them to
take her in or l would kill or drown every one
of them, and they took her in. I swan back
to the boat and they pulled for the shore.
| went forward to the bell, which the CAPTAIN
was ringing lie asked me to ring it while,
to bring up gunboat. l tried to burst that
bell for about a half hour, when guuboat came
alongside Of the wreck. They showed out a
narrow plank and made us walk one at time,
onto the cheese-boX, as we called them. AS
many Of US were almost naked, they called for
volunteers to go back TO the wreck and bring
over clothing, the boat having risen out of the
water when we left it. The clothing had
lodged against the bansters around the edge.
had made several trips and was on the for
ward part Of the boat when all at once the
great smokestacks fell over and split the cabin
IN two. | forgot the clothing had, and swan
for the gunbOat, which had backed off some
distance. The boys pulled me aboard. In a
few minutes the Captain called for the nine
men that went back to the wreck. He took us
into his staterOom and gave US a drink of
brandy.
The boat sank between 10 and o'clock on
the night of the 21st of July, 1864 On the 22d
we were put on the marine boat Diana. There
were about $50 lives lost. A Corporal's wife of
my regiment was drowned in a stateroom.
John Engel, of our company, lost his wife and
little boy. They were in wagon bed on the
lower deck. The wife of John Lecop had a
newborn babe in her arms when the boat
sank, which belonged to one of the refugee
women. She gave it into the arms of its
mother, and both we're drowned LecOp had
just left his wife at the stern of the boat and
came up on the hurricane deck when the boat
sank. he jumped overheard and swan back
to the stern for her Caught hor IN his arms
and swan with her to the yawI.-A. HoTTIN-
GER, Co. l., 10th No. Cav.