The Sultana Odyssey: A Civil War Novel Based on America's Worst Maritime Tragedy

by Paul Brennan

"This disaster, of which I am writing, was the greatest accident that ever happened during the war, and neither pen nor tongue can describe it." -Jacob Horner, Sultana Survivor The worst maritime accident in American history killed 1,600 steamship passengers, many starving just released Union prisoners returning north after the Civil War. Explosion of faulty boilers onboard the Sultana early morning on April 27, 1865 sent hundreds of men and women into the frigid Mississippi River near Memphis. Inspired by actual events, The Sultana Odyssey chronicles the tragedy of 2,300 travelers packed on a steamship built for 400 and the perseverance to survive against nearly impossible probabilities. It follows the journey of young Chicago doctor Finley Horne through the south and his efforts to return his sister from Alabama. Mistakenly tossed into a confederate prison camp, he experiences the atrocities and savagery of southern captivity before escaping and accompanying U.S. Colored Troops transporting their wounded by pushing an abandoned rail boxcar. The graphic and raw narrative captures the country's mood, greed, passion, values, and all against an historic backdrop of war and prejudice. Included are realities of an indelible blemish on American rampant death, starvation, abuses, and exposure to deadly diseases responsible for most Civil War fatalities. The doctor's journey concludes aboard the Sultana when explosion catapults sleeping passengers hundreds of yards into the Mississippi River and toward watery graves. Actual reminiscences of survivors reveal graphic and catastrophic efforts treading dark murky water toward a distant shoreline - all shadowed by a raging inferno consuming the steamboat's wood construction and burning alive helpless emaciated prisoners and amputees. Because it occurred days following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the tragic story of the Sultana remains to this day a little-known footnote of The War Between the States. This book contains graphic content some readers may find disturbing.

302 pages, Paperback

Published October 12, 2021

About the author

About the translator:
Paul Brennan firmly believes that you cannot judge a book by its author, and that when a book starts to speak, the author should be as quiet as possible, since the aim of art is after all to reveal art and conceal the artist. Therefore he refuses to follow the increasing tendency of spelling out one’s life story on top of one’s work and plastering a photo of himself where the reader would be better served by a mirror. Suffice it to say, he is a Tai Chi instructor at the Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association of Madison, WI. This book is in your hands now. Ignore him and read it with your own voice.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5. We meet characters throughout who all travel on the steamship Sultana: the main ones being a Chicago doctor, Findley Horne, and his sister, Isabelle, whom he accompanies to visit an aunt in Alabama. The Civil War is winding down and Isabelle is escaping an overbearing, obnoxious suitor and his persistence. Findley endures a Confederate prison camp, from which he and several others escape. Finally, the siblings and others who they've met on the way board the Sultana. They hope to reach home safely, but the ship blows up due to a defective boiler that has not been repaired properly.
The ship is not even mentioned until over halfway through the story. Union prisoners are being returned to the North along with the other passengers. Then follow statements from some of her survivors and a letter Isabelle writes to her Southern aunt telling of the fates of the other characters in the story. Interesting to read of an incident so horrific which has been overshadowed by Lincoln's assassination.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Brennan created an interesting and engaging historical novel. His narrative creates the vivid images and moves you along smoothly. While the novel deals with Sultana tragedy in a very detailed and direct manner, it puts the event in the context of the troubling and chaotic times. His excellent choice of characters and their experiences pulls this off. A wonderful reading experience that I recommend for all, especially for those enjoy a good historical novel.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional account of America's worst Civil War Maritime Tragedy. Although the Sultana is not mentioned until you are halfway through the book. This seems to be an easy read and I might even recommend this to a young adult reader interested in all things mechanical and history. An interesting saga overshadowed by the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

[Beverly Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative Description of Our Country’s Worst Maritime Tragedy

This is quite a mind-boggling and descriptive recap of a terrible tragedy that happened just after the Civil War ended. Soldiers were celebrating finally returning home when another‘ catastrophe happens in their lives.
This was a wonderful, interesting and informative read. I never knew of this part of our nation’s history. The author kept my interest throughout the entire book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about an unknown part of our nations history.