Post by markland on Feb 8, 2008 16:03:07 GMT -6
Last night while going through the enlistment records of 1850-1852, I started running into a number of deaths dating December, 1853 referring to the Steamer San Francisco. I got curious and found some a Senate Executive report in the U. S. Serial Set detailing what happened.
On December 20, 1853, the San Francisco cleared New York Harbor (NY Times 12/21/1853) bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. The ship was leased by the War Department to transport the 3d Artillery Regiment, its supplies and other supplies for the Division of the Pacific. All in all, there were over 500 soldiers aboard as well as several women, wives of officers. On th night of 12/24 a heavy storm was encountered which caused the ship to lose power. On the morning of 12/24, a single wave washed 150 people, mostly soldiers overboard.
The ship did not immediately sink and two or three other ships were able to rescue the passengers and crew before it did sink on or about January 7th (I haven't read it through yet.)
Anyway, for those interested, here is a NY Times article on the shipwreck. Note that this account has the ship clearing quarantine on 12/22.
tinyurl.com/2m7f4p
I photocopied the Senate report and will hopefully have a chance to get it scanned and on-line this coming week.
Sorry about it not being about Custer but the conquest of the west involved more than Custer, as much as some hate to admit it
Billy
P.S. There are a couple of names of officers of the 3d which are familiar, such as Lt. Van Voast and Lts. Winder. Both resigned their commissions at the outbreak of the Civil War, one, Charles Sidney Winder advanced to Brigadier General and was killed a Cedar Mountain, VA (Heitman, p. 1049.)
On December 20, 1853, the San Francisco cleared New York Harbor (NY Times 12/21/1853) bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. The ship was leased by the War Department to transport the 3d Artillery Regiment, its supplies and other supplies for the Division of the Pacific. All in all, there were over 500 soldiers aboard as well as several women, wives of officers. On th night of 12/24 a heavy storm was encountered which caused the ship to lose power. On the morning of 12/24, a single wave washed 150 people, mostly soldiers overboard.
The ship did not immediately sink and two or three other ships were able to rescue the passengers and crew before it did sink on or about January 7th (I haven't read it through yet.)
Anyway, for those interested, here is a NY Times article on the shipwreck. Note that this account has the ship clearing quarantine on 12/22.
tinyurl.com/2m7f4p
I photocopied the Senate report and will hopefully have a chance to get it scanned and on-line this coming week.
Sorry about it not being about Custer but the conquest of the west involved more than Custer, as much as some hate to admit it
Billy
P.S. There are a couple of names of officers of the 3d which are familiar, such as Lt. Van Voast and Lts. Winder. Both resigned their commissions at the outbreak of the Civil War, one, Charles Sidney Winder advanced to Brigadier General and was killed a Cedar Mountain, VA (Heitman, p. 1049.)
