Jerry and Linda Butler

ANDERSONVILLE PRISON AND THE STEAMBOAT SULTANA’S EXPLOSION, By Isaac Noah Davenport a Union Soldier of Scotts Hill, Tenn. Who Survived Both Horrors

From Gordon H. Turner, Sr., The History of Scotts Hill, Tennessee (Carter Printing Company, Southaven, Mississippi, 1977).

The writer of the following story was an uncle of this book’s author. He had written the war narrative soon after his experiences. He told me of these terrible episodes in his life. Widely known around Scotts Hill, his narrative and later oral descriptions were always the same. The following is exactly as written by him. The sentence structure and spelling are indicative of practically no schooling but the statements were never questioned.

Explosion which cost several hundred lives as I am one of the survivors of Andersonville prison and as I made mi escape from that burning Sultana from which I mi escape tunge hardly can tel the dangers in which we as prisoners was exposed in that harbel prison called andersonville goergie I was a privet in company C 7th tenn cavelrey volunteers. I was in roled on 28th day of august 1862 to serve 3 years or during the war I was capturd on the 24 day of March 1964 at Union City Tenn.

We was marched southward to be imprisond what a barbel thought it was to be imprisond tho I determed to hold up my hed if posible sum of the boys being tirred and wered was redy to give up the hopes of ever gettin back home agane i was determed by the help of god and my one strenth two maker threw we wore much two numbered where we was fenced ma cotton shed where the fleas and body lice suck sum of the very life blood out of us but i survivd that place but I am sorry to say I had toleve my brethern to wit S.F. McCollum he was sick i give him my blanket as he no blanket wrapt him up in mine and bid him goodby and started for andersonville prison I never saw him anymorefor he sleeps that slepe that knows no waking for he is nomberd with Ded. I reached andersonville and I tell you it was a despert looking place everything looked very gloomy but providence provided for me here i remaned a horbel prison life meny of my comrades slepe beneath the Sod of andersonville gorgy but providence provided for me from the 24 of march 1864 till march 27 1865 which time made 12 months and 3 days. While many of comreds who was captured at the same time has swelld the role of victims During our prison life the reders of this program must remember that our beds was only the sandy hills of andersonville prison some thare of uswho had a few raged blankets in which we would role ourselves in at night and trust god to watch over us while we slept exposed in this way a great number of boys lost their lives and are trying the reality of an un none world to us and now while I was was in this barbel prison seem so many of mi comrads fall victims I and sum of mi habors who was soldiers and priseners with me wood talk about home and friends and how we would like to be with them and we would sing a few songs and tell a few jokes. then we would walk about and take some exersise and view the barbel site that lay just before us which was inumerable in that place and in this way wood realise that blessed hope that strode our pathway with flowers thru that pered of prison life and that we might reach home once more to mete with loved ones there for home sweet home sounded loke music in our ears tho sumtines it wood look like we nearly wood rech home again when i could look on right and on mi left and see my comrads falling asleep in the arms of Deth i thot it mite be mi time next I wood then think of home and friends and i wood take fresh cureg thinking i wood rech home sum day. I remaned in andersonville prison until about Oct 64 when we was hured off to savanna georgy and there we remaned sumtime and then we was run to blackshere and here we was pend in a pine grove where we could take shelter under the branches of the pine and slepe on the ground. Here we remaned a few days and then we were transportd to thomasville georgy. I was glad to he out a little about 15 of februry 1865 we were orderd to make reddy for marching. Here our thoughts were made glad at thought of leving that prison though we had to leve sum of our commoreds beneath the sandy planes of thomasville georgy. i was glad to get to start tho we had to march on foot about 40 mile across the pine hills of georgy. sum of our pore boys was ware very weeke and feble but the thought of getting home revivd there feelins. We recht albany georgy and there we tuck the cars and i thougt we was going to be releast from prison but to our sorrow we was in a few ours time pend in that horbul calld andersonville. Agane this was a glumey time with us but god being ourheiper we thougt we culd stand it a while longer, while in this condishion we notice the confedrets standing about in little groops as if tha was studing what to do as boys wood say to each other look out something was goin to happan purty sune. I thought the war would not last allways and if i could withstand the storme a little longer would be relelesed tho the gloomey ours was driftin hi as fast as time could move all though we had past thru many harbul seans and though we had went thru cold and heat rane and sun and our clothin very short and our flesh bein reducd we ware nothin but skelingtons all though amid all this we tride to live a honerble soldiers life we did not do like sum of the prisners did in Andersonville and rite here i will state one of the horbul senes of andersonville. I saw six men hung ded on one pole tha was called raders but i cald them theves and murders tha had kild and robbd sevral of the por boys for what little money they had, the boys stood that but a short time till there was a stop put to that. this was a tring time though a grate many boys had not yet become as demons we had sum sympthy toward each other ae would he help each other as much as we could and that was not much as we had little to help with. We could only help the pore sick keep the flies off them and off the sores for sum of the boys legs and feet was sweld so tite thay busted. We could do nothin for them but give them a little water and try to encurage them. I remember a pore man whos arm was very sore and the flies had blode it and as he was very feble i hope him get the live things out of the sore. I felt that it was my duty to help my feler comereds and do all i could for them and my contry as tha was sum of the brave boys of our country and heros of Andersonville prison and now this brings us down to about march 20 1865. as the sun was risin and its glittering rays shoned sweetly across the western skies we heard the glad tmdings of grate joy that we woud be exchange we was sune orderd to fall in line. I tell you hare was no tmme lost we soon embarkd the confedret car on which we roled to jackson miss thare we had to take it afoot to black river bridge which was severl mile but we did not mmnd that we reched the river where we was to ride a boat north to be excganged or discharge. We was tired and werey but was as happy a little crue as ever survivd the recks of andersonville prison when we saw that brave old flag that wavd over our brave boys that came to mete us they gave us something to eat and drink and sum clean clothes to wear. I tell you we felt like we was at home with gods peeple we remain here in peac and plenty till 26 april 1865 then we was orderd to make reddy to go north to camp chase ohio and from there be sent to our respective states to be discharg from a soldiers life, this was good nuse to us we marchd thru viseburg a set of glad harted boys for we was now reddy to be embarkd on the Sultana boat which was waiting at the warf for us. We marchd on the old ship and i tell you we was as thick as bees. the prisoners and passengers nomber about 2300. we moved out about ten oclock the river was very high and swift as the spring rains had set in. the Sultana move up sloly but we was a happy little band. We land at memphis about nine oclock next night here some unloading and loading tuck place we tuck on coal and we had to stay sune time. A lot of us boys got oft to look around and get something to eat and to get a little fresh air but i was listning all this time for the signal bell to ring which it did about 11 pm we were roling on and sum of my mesmates and me looked around for a spot on deck with rume for us to lay down We went around on the outside of the benerstors of the middle deck and here we spred our blankets and made our pallet and pulld off our shuse hats and coats and put them down for our bedding. We was thick as could lay down aginst each other I had not been asleep long when i was wakd by a loud noiss and amid scrushin and shreking and screemin and now my readers i tell you here was the awfelist site i ever saw to sea men jumpin overbord like sheep when scared as if wolvs was after them. Sum men was drownding and sum burning and sum was fast by the smashup and cryin for help. Sum was kild instanly and sum was scared to deth and sum bourne away. As for myself i was slitely wounded by a peas of timber which was serushed down by the smashup there was two of mi mesmates kild one on each side of me one had his head mashed his name was isaac smith the other name was guan flowler he spoke and said boys i am a dead man. I never saw him eny more as he fell off into the river jest then I saw that i must do sumthin to save myself i spoke to one of mi comrads who i had met with all the time while in prison and sed to him what we must do to make our escap he said to me tare sum strings off and i will tare up sum plank and we will tie them together and swim out on them we dun so and just before we started to swim for our life i said to my pardner whose name was m l Gray while he was tieing the plank together i would step to thebow of the boat and see if i could see eny chance for us to make our escap from the burning boat as the river was very wide and the night very dark. i could see no land so I went back to whare i left my pardner but he was not thare i thougt he was drownd i then was left alone i did not loke the idea of jumping into the river as i could not swim verry well but the time had come when had to do sumthing as the flames and smoke was busting thre all parts of the burning boat. I thout m rather risk myself in the river than to be burnt to deth on the boat so got a pece of plank and jumped into the river but no suner than i struk the water my plank was snatch away from me as the river was full of drownding men as the saing is true a drownding man will ketch to a straw. I then was left to help myself the best way i could but i was determind to do the best i could for miself. I paddle around tring to save myself but just then i was seised by a drownding man and carred beneth the waves of the turble river, we struggld together til i thought i would haft to open my mouth for breth but i being strengthing by the god that made me i broke his bolt and by the rite presenc of mind i rose above the waves once more and now being weakend by strugglin with the drownding man i saw that i could not rech the shore. I thoougt would risk my chance around the hulk of the burning Sultana and on my back to the hulk i was struck on the bed and sholder with a pece of plank which fell from the top of the boat it knockd the blood outin me but i being determind by the help of god to save myself. I just then reched the hulk and as providence provided for me i caught holt of a steple which was faston two the hulk of the burning boat i belt on to it till the brake of day when a large pece of timber feed from the top of the boat it was not but few feet from me i being verry tired and chilly i thought i would put my feet aganst the hulk and spring to the log and i did so and succed in getting on the log, in doing this i was able to rest myself jes then i saw a man swingin two a rope jest before me. I paddle my life preserving log tward him i reched him and take hold of him and puld him up a little on the rope and he did not speke but he was not ded. About this time two men from a wood yardcome to our releaf tha had a raft of logs and a skift tha fel to work verry bravely and in a short time tha had all that was hangin round the boat rescude. I was one of the first with nine others that got away from the burning boat. We got on the raft and started for the shore but thare was a large sickmore tree and we could get on the lims and sta until tha could get the rest away from the burning boat and so we puld our little bark to the tree ae all got out on the tree verry easey as the water was among the limes and while our two friends was rescuin the rest of suffers from the burning Sultana and now my readers while being wet and child with cold water that blown down the river we past our wet tobacco around and after takin a good chaw and amuse our selfs in fittin the muskateers i think we was as happy a little band as ever set on the limes of a sickemore tree above the waves of the Missisipi river. It was now about sunup when our two friends come back to the tree after me and and the res of mi little chilly band that was sittin on the tree and now as we reched the shore i turned around to veu the place whare i had bin, the sun was jest risin and sending its silver ras acrouse the river i veud the hulk of the burning Sultana for the last she went down beneth the waves, the boys now had a good fier and we was warming ourselves when a stemer came to our relefe. the nomber which embarkd that stemer was about eighty we had bin padling for our lives about three hours but now we was rescude. we wus taken hack to memphis when we landed we got off the boat thare was a little grope standing around a fire trying to dry themselces. Sum of them had swame from the burning boat which was about seven mile and to my great surprise i met my friend m l gray. we gave each other our hand in token of our friendship and love as we expected each other to have bin lost, we now marched up thrue the streets of memphis bare heded and bare footed as we had lost all our hats and shuse and clothes we was wet and cold but we sune reched the soldiers home. thare we got sume more close and sumthing to eat. tha was but eight of mi redgement on the boat six of them was lost myself and John Dereberey who belong to the same ridgement was left to tell the story. mi friend m l Gray and o g shelton was saved but tha belong to the sixt Tennesee cavelry but we had mes together during our long prison life and tha seined like brothers to me. we staade at the soldiers home a few days. we was then orded two camp chase ohio as it was a plase whare prisners was to be sent to there own states to be distarge. we remained here a few days. we was sune caled into line and all of the drounded boys was calld out to be sent two ther own states two be distarged. I was glad to here that welcome word discharge calld. I thought i would sune get home to meet with my loved ones thare. it had bin sixteen monts sense i had herd from them. I sune started two Nashville whare i was to be distarge. i reched Nashville safe all tho i had served my country for thirty-five monts and had bin thrue meney dangers both sene and unsene and had two leave so many of my comurades beneth the sanda planes of georgey and beneath the waves of the missippi river who had lost their lives for their country. I was yet spared to receve a honereble distarge. I was glad to no that thare was not a mark of displesure agin me for mi servis for mi country. pece was now declard and the old baner of freedom was floting thrue the silvery breeses of morning and evening tide. I receved mi distarge on the twenty-ninth day of June on the thirtyth day of June 1865 i started home to the land of the free and the home of the brave. I landed home on the third day of july 1865 ware i met my wife and children and friends with a glad hart two think that i had sene them once more, and now my readers you may think this little pamplet is not true but i have sum living witnes who was with me in Andersonville prison and sum that was with me on the burning Sultana and if you could onley have sean sume of the sites and herd sume of the grones of the dieing prisners of that harbul place you would not dout eny report that is made of Andersonville prison. So i will close my little book by saing i am onley a little farmer and a siteson of henderson county Tennesee. I am now reddy to return my maney and cincere thank two god for presurving my life thrue that period of time for which i have rote. My name is Isaac n. Davenport.

Transcripts from Isaac N. Davenport's Civil War file
5 Sep 1862 muster in, Jackson, TN
Dec 20/26, 1862 captured in Fenton, TN
Apr 20, 1863 Co. C 2 Reg't West TN Cav
Jun 13, 1863 Absent w/o Leave, Grand Junction, TN
Jun 19, 1863 Deserted
Jun 19, 1863 Captured, Mt. Pinson, TN
July 10, 1863 Confined Richmond, VA
July 14, 1863 Paroled City Pt., VA
July 15/16, 1863 Reported Camp Parole, MD
July 17, 1863 Sent Camp Chase, OH
July 22, 1863 Reported Camp Chase, OH
July/Aug, 1863 Present parole
Sep 1, 1863 Present parole
Mar 24, 1865 Captured Union City, TN by Gen. Forrest
Mar 27, 1865 Delivered Black River
Apr 27, 1865 Survived Sultana Disaster
May 17, 1865 Sent to Nashville to Muster out
Jun 29, 1865 Mustered Out

Compiled by Jerry Butler, source: Virginia Goff Butler; History of Scotts Hill by Gordon Turner, Maureen White Pierce.