Walker sets the scene for this horrific maritime disaster by walking readers through the history of transport - and steamboats - on the Mississippi river. From this more industrial history, she moves to an overview of the Civil War, focuses on several soldiers who will be involved in the disaster. These and thousands of other soldiers, released from prison camps in the South, prepare to head home on the doomed steamboat. Walker builds the suspense - and also the evidence - adding quotes, evidence, and introducing more key players. Finally, in the seventh chapter, it all comes to a head with the Sultana’s explosion - and the deaths of thousands of men, as well as other passengers. The aftermath is shown through survivor’s accounts, the experiences of rescuers, and what little is known of the investigation at the time. Finally, the verdict is reached - and no one is held responsible for the disaster, clearly due to a combination of bribery, greed, incompetence, and sheer bad luck.

Walker lists the prevailing theories of the time, later evidence, and the fates of those few who left accounts and whose names were known. A final author’s note discusses Walker’s investigation the story and the societies which keep the tale of the Sultana alive. There is also a glossary, bibliography, and index. The advance review copy I saw did not include all the art, but the final edition includes multiple maps, drawings, and photographs.

This account steps outside the usual fare of battles and major players to illuminate bribery and corruption - and the tragic results for everyday soldiers and their families. Walker also talks about the rescue efforts and humanity of local families who helped the survivors, many of whom had recently been their enemies.

Verdict: As I continue to update the 900s, I look not only for broad overviews but for titles that show new perspectives and different views of past conflicts. This is a good example of that, showing the effects of war on ordinary soldiers and families, as well as discussing the causes and aftermath of a preventable disaster. A well-written and interesting look not only at a little-known disaster but also at the history of steamboats and the mid-south area.

ISBN: 9780763677558; Published October 10 by Candlewick; Galley provided by publisher at ALA; Purchased for the library

A well-researched historical account of the sinking of the Sultana in April 1865. This narrative not only includes the tragic event itself but also the before and after. Individual stories help give this telling a more personal touch. An interesting and informative work on a subject that was overlapped by the Lincoln assassination. Pictures and illustrations are incorporated too. There's a good bibliography at the end for those readers who wish to continue exploring the event.

LT Early Reviewer ( )

The American Civil War resulted in a lot of causalities on both sides. Once the hostilities were winding down, the prisoners who were finally being released must have breathed easier when arrangements were made to get them home. But even that journey could be fraught with danger as told in "Sinking the Sultana".

The Sultana was a Mississippi paddle steamer, vastly overcrowded with returning Union soldiers, when the boilers exploded and the ship went down. The background of the soldiers, the greed that led to the overcrowding and the story of those who survived and those who didn't, makes for an interesting look at this lesser known disaster of the Civil War era.

5517. Sinking the Sultana A Civil War Story of Imprisonment, Greed, and a Doomed Journey Home, by Sally M. Walker (read 5 Dec 2017) This is a well-researched amateurish account ot the Sultana disaster which occurred near Memphis on the Mississippi River on 27 April 1865. There is a bibliography, source notes, and illustrations altho the copy I received free from the publisher had no maps but the published book no doubt has such. I found the story well-told and quite gripping at times. Few know that more lives were lost in the sinking of the Sultana than were lost in the Titanic sinking. It is fitting that this book calls to our attention this disastrous event. ( )

(I got this book free from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers.)

I don't know a whole lot of Civil War history, and I had never heard of the Sultana until I read this book. I think it's an excellent book of history, very well-written but simple enough for young people to understand. I particularly liked the author's use of primary sources such as diaries, letters, etc., from the people who were on the ship. She painted an excellent picture of the chaos and horror that occurred after the boilers exploded and the ship sank. This book would be good for a middle- or high-school class on the Civil War, and I think adults would also appreciate the story. ( )