05/22/2026
🌟SULTANA PASSENGER SPOTLIGHT🌟
Samuel and Esther Spikes from Assumption Parish, Louisiana, boarded the Sultana in New Orleans with hopes of starting a new chapter up north. They were joined by their six children: Louisa (25), Lurany (23), DeWitt (19), Lizzie (17), Susan (17), an unnamed son, and their niece Adeline, whose age is unknown. They brought their family Bible and $17,000 in gold with them as well.
During its stop in Vicksburg, the Sultana loaded more than 1,900 Union prisoners who had just been freed from the Cahaba and Andersonville prison camps. Regrettably, as the steamer Sultana traveled north on a swollen river carrying an excessive number of passengers and cargo, it experienced a catastrophic explosion just north of Memphis.
When the boilers exploded and mass chaos erupted amongst the passengers, 19-year-old DeWitt was separated from his family. He was later rescued by Confederate soldiers and taken ashore at Mound City, Arkansas. After a brief period of rest, DeWitt promptly resumed his efforts, assisting in the rescue operations for others from the river. He looked for his family, but found that his mother and younger sister, still in her life preserver, had died in the water. Despite his ongoing grief, DeWitt set aside his personal loss to contribute to the rescue operations. He is credited with saving at least 30 people from the dangerous waters of the Mississippi River.
DeWitt dedicated several days in Memphis to locating additional family members and overseeing the funeral arrangements for his mother and sister at Elmwood Cemetery before he boarded another steamer to head north.
The family Bible was recovered by the crew of the Rose Hambleton, and DeWitt received $200 from the fund established for Sultana victims, which was the largest amount awarded to any survivor or family member.
