Photograph of 1857/1860 Union Steamer Transport Millboy

CPT JB

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Jul 13, 2019
I am still looking for a photograph, painting or drawing with the description of the 1857 86 ton Sternwheeler. There were at least 4 boats with same name. A barge, the Sternwheeler in question, a Steamer that was badly damaged on White River in Indiana in 1863, and a ferryboat built in 1893 that sank in 1910 in January 1910, which is Ironic as the The first Millboy sank in January 1864. I have found photographs of the 1893 Ferryboat, but none of the Original Millboy. I would appreciate any
Leads. I have contacted all the known States, Historical Societies, counties and cities the boat was known to have been in. Chambersburg, Gallipolis, Crown City, Ohio, Memphis Tennessee, Hopefield/West Memphis, Arkansas, Helena, Arkansas, Commerce, Mississippi, Devalls Bluff Arkansas, Jacksonport, Arkansas, Batesville, Arkansas. Millboy was involved in the burnings of Commerce and Hopefield.

May have made stops in Iowa Illinois and Missouri and around Osceola Arkansas but no records now exist to confirm. Any leads or suggestions would be appreciated, especially any that can help me obtain information on the Millboy appearance.
 
I have consulted there. No luck so far. I have searched in Ohio, home of the Millboy, Library of Congress, 7 State Archives, State Historical Society And libraries, numerous museums and county historical societies, The Naval Academy History Department, the Navy Heritage Command, 3 Navy Museums. The US Army Quartermaster records, Quartermaster Museum. Been on Arkansas Civil War and Missouri Civil War Message boards.
 
You never know what could show up in one of the ' wharf ' or ' landing ' images? It's arduous although fun to download the massive tif images on LoC and cropping ships into close-ups. I've never come across Millboy but haven't been specifically looking.

There's always a chance Millboy is included in one of those two-page spreads both Harper's Weekly and Frank Leslie's Illustrated News did? May not show up in a search for the name because the type beneath those images is so tiny. It'd also be arduous but you sound like you're inured to long searches.
 
So far, in newspapers it has not surfaced. The closet I have found was a New York Times new column on 22 December 1862 describing the attack by Blythe’s Calvary at Commerce Mississippi. I was able to identify from that report the units that burned Commerce. From that I found the history of the 47th Indiana who documented where the cannon placed on the Millboy came from. The Peoria battery out of Illinois. I have found two wharf pictures that probably had the Millboy but no way to tell. One is at Memphis the other is at Devalls Bluff. I got excited when I saw in search, photograph of Millboy. It was a Ferryboat that sank in Missouri River in 1910. Also found a steam Sternwheeler pushing barges at Hermann Missouri unfortunately the photo had power and Telephone Poles in the photograph. It was undated but clearly out of time period. I have found that at least 5 boats bore the name Millboy. The 86-ton built in 1857 was the first, and the one I am trying to locate.
 
So far, in newspapers it has not surfaced. The closet I have found was a New York Times new column on 22 December 1862 describing the attack by Blythe’s Calvary at Commerce Mississippi. I was able to identify from that report the units that burned Commerce. From that I found the history of the 47th Indiana who documented where the cannon placed on the Millboy came from. The Peoria battery out of Illinois. I have found two wharf pictures that probably had the Millboy but no way to tell. One is at Memphis the other is at Devalls Bluff. I got excited when I saw in search, photograph of Millboy. It was a Ferryboat that sank in Missouri River in 1910. Also found a steam Sternwheeler pushing barges at Hermann Missouri unfortunately the photo had power and Telephone Poles in the photograph. It was undated but clearly out of time period. I have found that at least 5 boats bore the name Millboy. The 86-ton built in 1857 was the first, and the one I am trying to locate.


Boy, there are just no searches you haven't employed. It's so frustrating when you just know there's an image- sketch or photo somewhere. You know that series of photos at White House Landing? Ship after ship, only several identified most either too hazy to make out the name or the pilot and wheelhouse are blocked by another ship. ACW images are loaded with mysteries we'll never solve.

" Also found a steam Sternwheeler pushing barges at Hermann Missouri unfortunately the photo had power and Telephone Poles in the photograph ". Both? It's probably annoying ( and unhelpful ) to have someone question this stuff when you obviously are quite conversant with your topic. I'm only asking because those darn telegraph poles once misled me on dating a photo.
 
So far, in newspapers it has not surfaced. The closet I have found was a New York Times new column on 22 December 1862 describing the attack by Blythe’s Calvary at Commerce Mississippi. I was able to identify from that report the units that burned Commerce. From that I found the history of the 47th Indiana who documented where the cannon placed on the Millboy came from. The Peoria battery out of Illinois. I have found two wharf pictures that probably had the Millboy but no way to tell. One is at Memphis the other is at Devalls Bluff. I got excited when I saw in search, photograph of Millboy. It was a Ferryboat that sank in Missouri River in 1910. Also found a steam Sternwheeler pushing barges at Hermann Missouri unfortunately the photo had power and Telephone Poles in the photograph. It was undated but clearly out of time period. I have found that at least 5 boats bore the name Millboy. The 86-ton built in 1857 was the first, and the one I am trying to locate.
Hello, have you tried contacting the University of Missouri at St. Louis? Their Pott Library Special Collections contains many ship and waterway-related records, images, etc. Here's a link: https://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/collections/pott-library-special-collections/index.html
 
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