{"product_id":"destruction-of-the-steamboat-sultana-the-worst-maritime-disaster-in-american-history-hardcover","title":"Destruction of the Steamboat Sultana: The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGene E. Salecker\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e was a sidewheel Mississippi steamboat carrying almost two thousand recently-released Union prisoners-of-war back north at the end of the Civil War. At 2:00 a.m. on April 27, 1865, when the boat was seven miles above Memphis, her boilers exploded. Almost 1,200 people perished in the worst maritime disaster in United States history. Gene Eric Salecker covers this disaster in detail and dispels the many myths that have been connected to the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e for too long. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlmost every author who has written about the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e has relied on the words of a few survivors or referred to the works of previous authors to get their story. Advancing the scholarship, the author has visited the National Archives in Washington, DC to comb through the handwritten transcripts of the three investigative bodies that looked into the disaster or poured over the handwritten testimony from the court-martial trial of Capt. Frederic Speed, the only person tried for the overcrowding of the vessel. In 1996, after extensive research and using the most current sources available at that time, Salecker wrote \u003ci\u003eDisaster on the Mississippi: The\u003c\/i\u003e Sultana \u003ci\u003eExplosion, April 27, 1865\u003c\/i\u003e. Still, there were inevitable omissions. After almost twenty-five years of continued research on the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e, and all those involved in the disaster, Salecker has gleaned unparalleled knowledge into every aspect of the disaster. His research, covering the National Archives, and thousands of pages of newspapers from around the world and government documents, including pension records and service records, has allowed Gene to tell the story of the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e as completely as possible. By bringing his research back to primary sources, Salecker dispels myths and adds to the story of the Sultana. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDestruction of the Steamboat\u003c\/i\u003e Sultana: \u003ci\u003eThe Worst Maritime Disaster in American History\u003c\/i\u003e paroled prisoners, civilian passengers, guards, crewmembers, rescuers, and eyewitnesses tell their stories in their own words. The true, and complete, story about the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e and the disaster has finally, and fully, been told.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGene Eric Salecker\u003c\/b\u003e is recognized as one of the leading authorities on the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e Disaster and owns the largest collection of \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e memorabilia. A retired police officer and middle school teacher, he is currently the historical consultant for the \u003ci\u003eSultana\u003c\/i\u003e Disaster Museum, Marion, Arkansas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 528\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.7 x 9.1 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 15, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42159112945799,"sku":"9781682477434","price":43.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/428303ffe51ed0cef3c25df2d5dbf17d.webp?v=1733264127","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/destruction-of-the-steamboat-sultana-the-worst-maritime-disaster-in-american-history-hardcover","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}