Descendants of Sultana disaster victims and survivors were early champions of a large museum. They will be in Arkansas next month to celebrate a day long coming

Descendant Robert Burke of Marion, Ind., places wreath remembering ancestor in Mississippi River in 2015; Doug Schneider of the association has created a medallion for this year's reunion in Marion.

With the grand opening of the reimagined Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion, Ark., just a few weeks away, organizers credit a meeting nearly 40 years ago for getting the ball rolling for an enduring tribute to victims and survivors of the maritime disaster.

The first gathering of the Sultana Association of Descendants and Friends occurred in Knoxville, Tenn., bringing together researchers Jerry Potter and Gene Salecker.

“Gene and Jerry had been researching the Sultana story for several years separately when they met for the first time at our first formal Sultana reunion in Knoxville in 1988,” said association founder Norman Shaw. “They became friends and started sharing research, resulting in Jerry's book coming out in 1992 followed by Gene's in 1996.”

The little-known story of the steamboat Sultana was finally being told.

Potter, Salecker and retired banker Louis Intres eventually championed a combination of artifacts, memorabilia and stories of those involved in the Sultana to build a first iteration of the museum in 2015, the same year the descendants group last met in Marion. (Interestingly, none neither they nor Shaw are descendants.)

Marion – across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tenn., is near where the Sultana caught fire and exploded in late April 1865, killing about 1,200 people, including hundreds of Union soldier who had just been released from Confederate prisons and were heading home.

This year's meeting of the descendants group Nov. 12-14 will be a prominent part of the celebration in Marion, which worked for years to raise the millions needed for a larger location a few blocks from the first venue.

Salecker told the Picket no one envisioned a museum during that first meeting of descendants.

A few years later, Intres learned Salecker had been collecting artifacts and memorabilia and had put them on display a few times at the Ohio Civil War Show in Mansfield and at Sultana Association of Descendants and Friends reunions.

“I think after seeing what I was bringing to our reunions for display, and after seeing some of the photos from the Kenosha (Wis.) display, Louis asked me if I would loan him all of my artifacts for a display that he wanted to put up at Arkansas State University, where he was working as an adjunct professor. The display was put up in February 2012,” said Salecker, who lives in the Chicago area.

“In June 2013, Louis, working with the Marion Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Frank Fogleman, arranged for a display of my artifacts and some items from Jerry Potter and a few descendants … in a shopping complex. After that, in consultation with Frank and others in Marion, it was decided to look for an interim museum site, while we all looked for a permanent site for a museum,” Salecker added. (Louis Intres, photo below)

Officials say it’s important that the little-known story of greed, fraud, valor and sacrifice be told in a bigger way than what’s covered in a tiny museum that opened in 2015 and closed this past May.

The Sultana disaster was little known at the time, not helped by the fact that it got lost in headlines about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War.

John Fogleman, president of the Sultana Historical Preservation Society, which is leading the museum effort, told the Picket the authors and descendants were responsible for conceiving the idea of the museum. Fogleman's ancestors helped rescue those thrown into the river by the catastrophe, and that aspect of the story will be featured in the exhibits.

Officials hope the larger venue – in the town’s old high school gymnasium -- will boost learning and tourism in the area.

Descendants attending this 38^th annual reunion will wear a yellow ribbon similar to those worn by survivors of the disaster. Member Doug Schneider is producing a medallion showing an historic photograph of the Sultana and the exterior of the new site. 

Schneider's great-great grandfather, Peter Rosselot, Company E, 50th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, survived the tragedy. He had been captured at Franklin and imprisoned at Cahaba in Alabama.

Rosselot (left, with wife Louise) wrote about the calamity in a chapter of Chester Berry's famous book about the Sultana. 

"There were seven of our company on the boat, and five of them perished. If it has not been for the grace of God we too would have perished. After I had got down on the lower deck I waited for a favorable opportunity to save myself. After a large number of the men had made their escape or were drowned I watched for a clear space in the river, for I was afraid some one would catch hold of me and I would share the fate of the others. I jumped off into the river, and swam away as fast as I could ..."

Schneider, who lives in Massachusetts, has been on four trips with the association. "Norm has done an amazing job of finding various places to visit that are related to the men who were on the Sultana."

Other meeting locations have included Knoxville, Cincinnati, Vicksburg, Ms., Memphis, Americus, Ga., and Athens, Ala. -- all have ties to POW camps, the boat itself or the disaster.

Shaw said he is hopeful 200 members of the group will come to Marion. He has booked rooms in four hotels. About 115 people had signed up by Oct. 9.

Descendants at their 2015 reunion in Marion and Memphis (Norman Shaw)

Here is the schedule for the descendants association gathering:

Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day: The city will have a 1 p.m. public ceremony at the museum’s flag plaza (114 Military Road). Sixth-grade students will sing and there will be a few remarks.

Thursday, Nov. 12: An afternoon meet-and-greet of descendants at the Best Western motel in Marion.

Friday, Nov. 13: A 10 a.m. tour of the new museum. John Fogleman and museum executive director Jeff Kollath will provide an introductory presentation.

The association will have a banquet from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at The Crossings Church gym across from the museum. Tacker’s Shake Shack will provide the meal. The program includes recognitions, singing, book giveaways and a candlelight ceremony. Cost is $37.

Speakers include Potter, Salecker (at right, with model of Sultana) and Shaw.

“I expect that I will share how I first came to learn about the Sultana and became captivated by her remarkable story,” Potter said. “On a hot day in July 1978, I took a shortcut through the lobby of the National Bank of Commerce in Memphis and noticed a painting depicting the burning of the Sultana on April 27, 1865. The painting was displayed among several others in an alcove of the bank. That brief encounter sparked what has become nearly five decades of research, preservation and storytelling. My talk will focus on that journey and on the enduring mission of ensuring that the stories of the men aboard the Sultana, so often overlooked by history, are remembered and shared with future generations.”

Salecker will talk about early efforts of displaying the memorabilia and artifacts around the Midwest and finally in Marion. The author and collector said the effort moved from "Are there any interested descendants out there?" to "Look what we have accomplished."

Saturday, Nov. 14: 10 a.m. grand opening of the museum to the public.

In 2015, Norman Shaw (right) and reenactor prepare to place flag in Mississippi River in memory of soldiers

Robert Burke, 82, of Marion, Ind., is among the descendants traveling to Marion next month.

In 2015, Burke dropped a custom wreath and white rose into the Mississippi River in honor of his ancestor, Enoch Nation, 9^th Indiana Cavalry, who was a Cahaba prisoner near Selma, Ala. Many other released prisoners had been at Andersonville (Camp Sumter) in Georgia

“They never found his body,” Burke told the Picket then. “My only hope is he’s in an unknown soldier’s marked grave.”

Shaw recalls stumbling across the Sultana story as founder and later president of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable in 1987. He learned about three local children of Sultana survivors and then about six more over the next few years. “All are gone now, of course.”

He recently sent an email to members of the descendants association, updating them on logistics for the gathering.

“In just 1.5 months, our long, sought-after dream of a new Sultana museum will become a reality,” Shaw wrote. “I'm sure your Sultana ancestors would be proud.”

The current Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion, Ark., will close May 16; a larger, more dynamic venue at old high school is expected to open in November

The Sultana Disaster Museum during a visit in late January (Civil War Picket photo)

A small Arkansas museum that tells the story of the steamboat Sultana disaster near the end of the Civil War will close after May 16 as a larger venue is completed a few blocks away -- the culmination of a long journey for the community.

The Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion made the announcement Thursday morning on social media.

“After years of welcoming visitors to 104 Washington St. on the Marion Courthouse Square, the current Sultana Disaster Museum will officially close its doors on May 16 as we begin the big move into our new museum home opening in November!," the post said.

“This move marks an important new chapter in preserving and sharing the story of the Sultana and the lives forever impacted by the disaster. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has visited, supported, donated, volunteered and helped keep this history alive through the years.”

John Fogleman, president of the Sultana Historical Preservation Society, told the Picket officials anticipate opening the new museum with several days of activities beginning on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and culminating with a grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Gene Salecker made this model several years ago (Picket photo)

The new venue will be in a former high school gymnasium-auditorium that was built near the end of the Great Depression.

Officials originally hoped the new site would open in April 2025, in conjunction with the 160^th anniversary of the maritime tragedy. But there have been delays and officials with the Sultana Historical Preservation Society had the continuous work of raising funds.

Marion, close to where the side-wheeler Sultana exploded and caught fire in the Mississippi River, will honor soldiers who died in the disaster and residents who helped save others who were plunged into the river in late April 1865. Among those residents were ancestors of Fogleman.

Marion is across the river from Memphis, Tenn.

About 1,200 passengers and crew perished. Hundreds of Federal soldiers, many recently freed from Confederate prisons, including Andersonville and Cahaba, were on their way home when fire broke out following a boiler explosion. The tragedy has been remembered at the museum and in books by Gene Salecker, Jerry Potter and others. (Picket photo, left)

Remaining days and times for visitors to visit the current museum -- which opened in April 2015 -- are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 7-9 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 14-16.

Now the focus of the project will be looking forward.

"We can’t wait to welcome you into the new space this fall with expanded exhibits, new experiences and even more opportunities to honor and remember this important piece of history," the museum said.

Officials have been largely mum about specific exhibits, although the Picket got a rough idea during a visit to Marion in January. A large mockup of the Sultana will be the focal point.

The idea is to provide a more high-tech, interactive presentation than the old site. That will be especially important since very few surviving items from the vessel were located.

John Fogleman of the Sultana Historical Preservation Society shows mockup in gym (Picket photo)

The new venue will feature the main items in the former gymnasium. There are adjoining rooms for special exhibits and community meetings and events. Officials hope to draw on area schools for field trips.

Museum officials say the exhibits will build off the full story of the Sultana with information about the importance of the river, the Confederate prisoner of war camps at Cahaba and Andersonville, the bribery and corruption that led to the overcrowding of the side-wheel steamboat, the explosion and fire, and the creation of the Sultana Survivors Association.

Salecker, a Sultana collector, author and historian, has purchased many of the artifacts housed in the current museum.

The rooms include a 14-foot model of the Sultana, photographs of survivors and victims, reunion items and a few pieces believed to belong to the steamboat. (Not much survived, and the wreck is said to lie below a bean field east of Marion.)

John Fogleman shows board at new venue detailing donors and sponsors (Picket photo)

"As for the collection, I know that everything will be going over to the new museum but I do not know how much will actually be put on display," Salecker said in an email Thursday. "We have a lot of reunion and GAR items connected with survivors, but we only have limited space for the display of those items. I would hope that we will be rotating items from time-to-time to keep our displays fresh."

Salecker recalls the ceremony when the interim museum opened.

"We had a slight, drizzly rain that day during outside ceremonies. Perhaps the rain was appropriate since we were commemorating a disaster. The Heavens were crying for the 1,164 people that died on the Sultana."

Norman Shaw, a founder of the Sultana Association of Descendants and Friends, recalled the group's meeting in 2015 in Marion to mark the museum's opening. The weekend included descendants dropping roses into the Mississippi River to remember the dead and survivors.

"Even though in a temporary space, we hoped the new museum was only the initial step toward an eventual permanent museum," Shaw said. "Everyone involved worked hard and diligently in raising the $10 million dollars needed to build the new museum, followed by the many hours it took to plan and to oversee the building process."

Gene Salecker and his father Roy, who passed away in early 2025 (Special to the Picket)

Shaw said the survivors of the incident were committed to have the story told for generations.

"They would be most pleased if they could be present to see the doors open for the new Sultana Disaster Museum, but, no doubt, will be with us in spirit."

Potter said his memories of the small museum center around people who have come from all over the world to learn about the overlooked moment in U.S. history.

"I can still recall how many of them stood in amazement as this tragic chapter of American history was unfolded before them. Most said it was incredible -- almost unbelievable -- that they had never heard the story before. Being able to meet such people, to tell the story, and to witness their reactions is what I remember most," he wrote in an email. "This small museum has been the avenue through which the memories of those aboard the Sultana have been kept alive."

'Boys, we're driving them': For Memorial Day, the Picket asked for individual stories of the Civil War fallen. Here are eight compelling accounts

Flags in the cemetery at Antietam battlefield in Maryland (NPS photo)

The roots of Memorial Day go back to immediately after the Civil War, when it was known as “Decoration Day.” Families and veterans would lay flowers at graves of those who died while serving the U.S. armed forces. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan and the Grand Army of the Republic were major proponents.

The Civil War Picket asked several people we’ve interviewed or communicated with over the years to name one person killed in action or while on duty during the Civil War, and why their memory is personally meaningful. We start each of the following entries with the name of those who died and end with the name of the contributor. Some responses have been edited.

We began this feature last year, and I really appreciate those who have responded. They help ensure their soldier or sailor is remembered.

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Capt. William W. Hutchinson, 103^rd Ohio Infantry

In mid-May 1864, The 2nd Brigade (Mahlon Manson, XXIII Corps) of which the 103rd Ohio Infantry belonged, overran the first line of Confederate works at Resaca and drove them to their main line. The attack was deadly from the start. Capt. Hutchinson, who commanded the 103rd that day, along with Capt. John T. Philpot we're killed in the advance. Also, all of the color guard we're shot down: two killed, seven wounded.

I believe their sense of duty pushed them to do the extraordinary. You read these accounts of these men (on both sides) who had a seemingly impossible task before them and would just drive forward. I never stop being amazed by reading their first-hand accounts. It was reported his last words were "Boys, we’re driving them," after he received his mortal wound.

TONY PATTON, board member with the Friends of Resaca Battlefield and an employee at Resaca Battlefield Historic Site in north Georgia.

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Lt. Col. Henry Pearson, 6th New Hampshire

One of the highlights of my Civil War adventurizing came on a sweltering day in 2016 at the grave of Henry Pearson in the beautiful Fredericksburg (Va.) National Cemetery on Marye’s Heights. I had with me a tintype of Pearson in his officer’s uniform, clutching a sword. He was a remarkable young man, 24, a lieutenant colonel well-liked by his soldiers. (Photo in John Banks' collection)

A sharpshooter’s bullet crashed into Pearson’s head, killing him, at North Anna River on May 26, 1864. Comrades placed his body in a large, wooden box and hastily buried him on the eastern bank of the North Anna. They carved his name on a crude, wooden marker and “left him alone in his glory."

Pearson’s comrades left quickly because the Army of the Potomac was on the move. After the war, the U.S. Army recovered Pearson’s body for reburial in the national cemetery. Before I part with the image of Pearson, I’d like to visit the spot where he suffered his mortal wound. I’m told it is (on) private property and remote.

JOHN BANKS, Civil War blogger, podcast co-host and author of “A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime: Antietam, Gettysburg and Beyond”

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Tom Parson with the artillery piece he describes below (NPS photo)

Pvt. Daniel Murray, Company C, 1^st U.S. Infantry

Daniel, an immigrant from Ireland enlisted in the regular army in 1859. On the morning of October 4, 1862, in Corinth, Ms., he and three other men from his company captured a 3.8" James rifle from the Confederates, a piece that had been captured from the Union at the Battle of Shiloh. Pvt. Murray was killed in action a few hours later during the Confederate attacks on Battery Robinett. The cannon is on permanent display at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, a unit of Shiloh National Military Park

TOM PARSON, ranger at Shiloh National Military Park

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Col. Willard G. Eaton, 13^th Michigan

As a student of Sherman’s 1865 Carolinas campaign, the bravery of the men willing to give the ultimate sacrifice so late in the war has always amazed me. One example that comes to mind is Col. Willard Eaton of the 13^th Michigan. He enlisted as a first lieutenant in October 1861. He distinguished himself as a capable leader, loved by the men with whom he served. At the time of his death, he was the acting colonel of the regiment though a major in rank.

On March 19, 1865 -- the first day of the battle of Bentonville in North Carolina --  U.S. Army forces encountered heavy resistance as they advanced within 25 miles the vital rail hub of Goldsboro. 

An ammunition box lid reportedly was used as marker for Eaton

Unaware that C.S. commander Joseph E. Johnston’s whole army was in front of them, 1^st Division, XIV Corps commander William P. Carlin ordered a probing attack in hopes to find and turn the Confederate right flank. Eaton’s 13^th Michigan was in the middle of three regiments selected for this movement. They advanced across an open field to within approximately 50 yards of the Army of Tennessee contingent, which was reinforcing its concealed position in a pine wood. Pvt. John Daniels of the 13^th Michigan recalled, “Our regiment charged…within about 5 rods of the enemy when our Major was killed and our color bearer wounded.”

After the battle, Eaton’s men returned to find his body. They found him stripped of everything but his undergarments and lying in a mass grave. They fashioned a headstone for him out of the lid of an ammunition box and buried him near where he fell. Though seemingly inconsequential to the outcome of the battle, his leadership in the probing attack proved vital both in determining the presence of a large Confederate force and in foiling the original Confederate plan of attack. This caused a delay which allowed vital U.S. reinforcements to rush into position, preventing the left wing from being routed.

CHAD JEFFERDS, assistant site manager at North Carolina’s Fort Fisher State Historic Site and former historic interpreter/programs coordinator at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

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John Clark Ely

I want to remember Lt. John Clark Ely, who was with the 115th Ohio Infantry. He was captured near Nashville in early December 1864.  He had a wife and for young children back in Ohio. He kept a diary and often wrote about missing his family and how he longed to be with them again. On Christmas day of 1864, as he is being led toward Andersonville, he wrote: "I wonder if next Christmas will again find me among friends and family." He survived Andersonville and was taken to the parole camp outside of Vicksburg. On April 24, 1865, he boarded the Sultana that he described as a "large but not very nice boat."  On April 26, the entry in his diary read, "Still going up the river."  This was his last entry. In the aftermath of the explosion and burning of the Sultana, the body of John Clark Ely was identified by his diary. Lt. Ely never made it back to his family and friends. His final resting place is the Memphis National Cemetery. 

JERRY POTTER, Sultana expert and author of “The Sultana Tragedy: America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster”

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Sgt. William Anderson, Company I, 46^th U.S. Colored Troops

On May 18, 1864, a white Vicksburg citizen named John Bobb threw a "brick or stone" at Sgt. Anderson while the soldier was marching a picket detail back to camp through Bobb’s property. The citizen was shot and killed by Sgt. Anderson. The U.S. Army charged Anderson with murder but the July 1 court-martial proceedings resulted in a verdict of not guilty. The thrown object caused Anderson to suffer from a skull fracture. He received treatment at Vicksburg and returned to "light duty." He died on Aug. 26, 1864, at the Milliken's Bend hospital, with a military saying he died of apoplexy.

Affidavit written by Anderson's commander (click to enlarge)

But his commanding officer wrote an affidavit, in 1868, declaring the skull fracture as the cause of his death. Sgt. Anderson was 20 years old and left behind a widow, Sally, and a newborn daughter, Anna. The widow and child received pension benefits. The incident was and still is used to create a false narrative of unruly USCT soldiers (some accounts said the soldiers were inebriated or picking flowers at the home). Anderson’s death on the home front during Vicksburg's military occupation represents the daily racial violence USCT soldiers faced fighting for their freedom and equality. 

BETH KRUSE, Ph.D., Mellon Fellows scholar at Vicksburg National Military Park

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Cpl. Peter Gottlieb Nicholas Kuhn, Company K, 151^st New York

What strikes me about Peter Kuhn is two things; he was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1826 and immigrated to the United States in 1855. He married later that year and had three children before the Civil War. He was an immigrant, older and had a family, yet he chose to enlist in September 1862. 

Peter was apparently a good soldier and was promoted to corporal in November 1862. He was noted for taking up the national flag when the color bearer of the 151^st New York was cut down at the Battle of Locust Grove on November 26, 1863, bearing the colors through the rest of the battle. He continued to serve until the regiment's costliest battle at Monocacy in Maryland. 

Killed in action at Monocacy, Peter Kuhn was first listed in wounded and missing. His wife Maria put in for a survivor's pension, which was granted on September 15, 1865.

MATT BORDERS, park ranger at Monocacy National Battlefield

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John Pelham, artillery and cavalry soldier

Every March 17, while Irish-Americans are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, I reread a bit on why General Lee remarked, while watching him serve his guns at Fredericksburg, that it was marvelous to see courage in one so young.

I once made a pilgrimage to east-central Alabama to visit his grave and pay my respects. (The Confederate soldier was killed March 17, 1863, in the Battle of Kelly’s Ford in Virginia)

STEVE DAVIS, Civil War historian and author