JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
Identified only as Number 8 on the Mississippi defenses, I 'think' sources tell us this is USS Grosbeak- a long war for ship and crew did not end with the surrender. If it is Grosbeak, Sultana survivors were pulled aboard from dark waters on a terrible night, an entire war after this photograph was taken.
Generally easy finding names when the number is so clear. From Hathitrust, one of the original, public access books ( it says so ), hadn't come across this. Another archive, from Google, states Number 8 tin clad is USS Grosbeak. That's pretty much it though, can't find one, more piece of information on Number 8, Mississippi.
If it is Grosbeak- was renamed ' Fanny ', making it confusing since ' Fanny ' was also a schooner of the era, albeit private.
According to a few sources Grosbeak was one of the ships, now veterans of a long war, shocked back into action when Sultana became a tomb for thousands coming home. Essex famously was there ( crew raised 1000 bucks for survivors, toboot ), Tyler, with a volunteer crew, Jenny Lind, Bostonia ( first on scene ) and any ship coming on the scene- cannot find accounts for Grosbeak. Newspapers are usually great but the disaster was nearly not covered. Details are lost to History- between Lincoln's death, the end of the war and Booth's cowardly skedaddle, no room for a couple thousand dead.