Of the sinking of the Black Diamond down at Saint Clements river down on the potomac in maryland. I was invited by my colleague here karen stone who has done an amazing job of continuing to tell the story and to bring the story out from the darkness and into the light. A little bit about karen. She is the director of she oversees redistinct sites and that county for strategic planning, fundraising, creating strategic partnerships, overseeing Museum Partnerships and more. This is especially exciting. I love this article she recently published an article about this disaster in American Civil War magazine entitled peril on the potomac. Thank you for joining us on zoom this afternoon. Dir. Stone this is very exciting, jake. I am excited to be here. This actually took place today, dir. Wynn this is a really important event that has been overshadowed by many of the other events happening in april 1865, including other maritime disasters. A bad timing event for news coverage. Were other things going on that was of more National Import than this one. We are reviving the story, remembering the men who lost their lives. Dir. Wynn we will get into our conversation in just a bit. A reminder to those watching, if you are here and watching and enjoying these videos, please like and share. Moreps to more people see these videos and get more people in the conversation. If you have any questions for myself or karen, please drop them in the comments. We will get to those at the end of the presentation, at the end of our conversation. We will bring some of those comments and and answer those questions for you. With that being said, i want to turn over to karen, stir steer the ship so to speak for the next couple of minutes. I have an image here i will share. I will try to screen share here if i can successfully do that. Here we go. Karen, taken away. Take it away. Dir. Stone it was april 22, 1865. It was day eight of the manhunt searching for John Wilkes Booth thehad killed lincoln on 14th. The Eastern Theater war was pretty much over, but they still needed to find food and they were afraid of what would happen if he got into maryland. They were calling in troops from everywhere. This is the largest hunt in the country up until this time. They pulled vessels into the flotilla, which had been crucial to keeping d. C. Safe at times. The potomac in those days was not calm, quiet waters. It was the front line of battle. [laughter] dir. Stone there you go. Right above the end of the Potomac River is where the incident took place. The o,e second oh is o is where the confrontation with John Wilkes Booth took place. For the people of st. Marys county, it was their livelihood and for these men, their final resting place. Trade, communication, even marriages and the George Washington family had been focused on virginia for the folks in Southern Maryland forever. It was a lot closer to them than other parts of the state. To. As easy to get it provided their livelihoods, it is where they fished, it is where they woke worked and they share the waters with the virginians, so they knew each other. They married each other. They do not really care what was going on in the rest of the state of maryland. When federal troops came in and occupied maryland, the people along the potomac did not care. There were not involved. Life just went on for them as usual. All their dealings continued with virginia but now they had to be more cautious. Now it was illegal to trade with virginia, but they didnt care. They just kept doing it. The troops that were stationed in the area knew what was going on. The even new in some cases who these men were that were spying into trading and carrying goods back and forth, but they could not spying and trading and carrying goods back and forth, but they could not catch them. Were brought on into the flotilla. The flotilla itself under the command of the navy took vessels from locals and added them into the flotilla as they needed them to patrol the waters and keep everything safe. Late in 1861 after the flotilla just got started, the flotilla commander wrote from all i can see or learn of the people of maryland, i am convinced on the shores of the potomac there is not one in 20 who is true to the union. When lincoln was assassinated, Southern Maryland was the natural place to look for food. Said, the being added to the flotilla, the Quartermaster Department. In george georgetown had to put a temporary hold on Freight Service due to the lack of vessels because they had all been commandeered for use by the military. In 1865 after lincolns assassination, even more vessels were temporarily chartered to aid in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. That included the Black Diamond. It there are a total of one 612 vessels chartered by the court a at this time. The Black Diamond was a coal barge. It was now needed by the flotilla. It was designed by John Erickson. Some of you civil war folks might know John Erickson as the man who designed the monitor. A very famous ship designer at the time. He designed this coal barge, the Black Diamond. Built at afeet long, foundry, which quincy dental he was where the engines for the monitor were constructed. There is the ironworks. There were four of these vessels built at the same time, all for working on the canals. They were very shallow draft, only six feet. They were great to be working on the potomac as well to get up so blacke creeks diamond was put in service with the quartermaster corps in 1862 and her contract was to haul freight between alexandria, washington, dc, and other ports upended down the river on higher as needed by the quartermaster up and down the river on as needed. N hire the course of her time with the quartermaster, the company was paid 30,000, which is quite a hefty sum in those days. ReceivesBlack Diamond special orders, this is a coal , not exactly the Black Diamond, but close. It is a similar size. See the large pile of coal there that was being transported up and down the river for use by the military. Was actuallymond iron hulled, not wood like this one. On april 22, 1865 federal authorities were aware that booth was in Southern Maryland and waiting to cross into virginia. Theain lee got quartermaster at the alexandria depot to put the Black Diamond in service with the potomac flotilla. He sent her out of alexandria to the naval depot in maryland where they were picking up more specific orders to join a flotilla. They left honey point at 11 00 that night with orders to take anchor at in the vicinity of lighthouse. They were to keep a booth from crossing the river. They incurred for the night and got all set up about 12 35 on the morning of april 23. Booth was actually crossing the river at this exact time. He had left the shores of maryland a member this is the second attempt by him. He had tried the night before but this was the second attempt, the night he was successful. He left the maryland shore on a high incoming tide, which makes his crossing really rough but he got over to virginias shore sometime after midnight so right around the same time that all of this is happening on the river. The massachusetts was the other named jade doubt pentz. This is an actual picture of the actual ship, so you can see how much bigger it was than the canal barge. 308 tonschusetts was steel side steamer. It was being used by the quartermaster corps or the Quartermaster Department as a crew transport vessel. She was on her way from alexandria in washington to see seaport,ginia and virginia and then on to fort munro. She was not capable of ceiling through the she was not fit sheocean travel, so once got to fort munro, men would have gotten off of her and onto a different boat. They were on to newborn, north carolina. The soldiers on board had recently been released from southern prison camps or the northnt camps in and were returning to the regiments to fulfill their terms of service for the war. Massachusetts left alexandria at 5 00 p. M. On the 22nd and the soldiers were going to rejoin their regiments down in north carolina. The thirdlmes of regiment of the Federal Reserve corps was the commander of the troops on the steamer. The Federal Reserve corps was among the last of the units into troopere being used for transport such as this or prisoner exchanges, that kind of thing. A transport like this where all the men came from different regiments, the reserve Corps Officer was to organize this group on board and keep them under control since there were not a lot of officers keeping them there. As they were coming down the river, everything was going fine. They had gone 60 miles or so out of washington when suddenly a strong wind began to blow, causing the river to become rough. If any of you have sailed on the potomac, you understand what that means. The wins come up fast and furious and can change the conditions in a heartbeat. Shortly before 1 00 a. M. , the massachusetts hit the angered Black Diamond. Hit her on the port side near the boiler just to the aft of the port house, opening her hall to the waterline. The wind had begun. The resulting waters were rough. That was probably part of the reason for the accident but also the navigational rules at the time and did that being partly to blame. The massachusetts was not blowing any whistles and even though she had her running lights on, the Black Diamond only had one light showing so it is possible the massachusetts thought it was a sure light. We are not sure what happened light. We are not sure what happened. The men on the massachusetts were all sleeping. We were asleep. There was this loud crash and they were all woken up by this loud jewels. There were about 300 men on board at that time this loud jolt. There were about 300 men on board at the time. Largeack diamond hole was hull was large enough to take the hit. The captain ordered all the men on board to congregate in the stern to keep the bow out of the water and then the Black Diamond swung around to side into the captain thought she was a rescue vessel, so he ordered his men to jump off the massachusetts onto the Black Diamond, not realizing Black Diamond was already sinking. Alongside, the Black Diamond smashed one of the massachusettslifeboats leaving only one to help everyone. Alonging steamer came just about this time too and helped rescue people and get them back on board. He got most of the rest of the people on board and in the water who were still alive. Assume survivors were forced to stay in the water some survivors were forced to stay in the water for three more hours clinging to debris or anything they could find two that would keep them from sinking. The chief engineer on board the Black Diamonds arrived, husted, recalled trying to pull one man out of the water with a rope but he was so numb that he couldnt hold onto the line. Other survivors recounted similar stories, saying he slept through the rope many times till it became clear that it was no use. Is, hehollins, here he has with the 101st volunteer infantry. He was one of the first among the troops on the massachusetts to jump on board the Black Diamond. Ofrealized he had jumped out the frying pan into the fire and he went up to the man at the wheel and said is this boat all right . And the wheelman said no, it is sinking. He went back onto the looked forts and other men. They were all safe and were survived by climbing up and out of the water. The river was not too deep at that point. 3. 5boat sank in about fathoms of water. We know the tide had gone out. 12 18, so thee at water was going out. The water was not that deep at that time. Men jumped off the massachusetts. Ultimately, 87 were lost by drowning. The more that jumped on black the uses traveled massachusetts traveled to Point Lookout maryland, stayed near wrerec all night the ck all night, and on the way down, past another steamer, that was able to offload the men, because she was so damaged they did not want to lose more men. The headcount was down to 65. It ultimately ended up being 87 that were lost. This vessel took the men all the way to norfolk. Then they continued on to newburgh, north carolina. Sent to thes were area immediately to help recover bodies. Were that were recovered rob alexandria. Quartermaster alan sent a boat armed with hooks the next day, and men who were to search and retrieve bodies. They were covered only 37 of the 87, and actually there is a report in the paper for may 12 they just retrieved the last of the bodies they could find, so it took almost two weeks to get all these bodies out of the potomac. They were just floating there in the meantime. Collision was reported in the paper immediately, all over the country, little, tiny articles, but then, as word got out about those, the bodies and the rest, and the someone wasns, captured and killed a booth was captured and killed, lincolns funeral track was on its way, and the panic exploded. So this loss of 87 men was kind of forgotten. That reported later there were a couple articles written by survivors they kept looking for articles and press about their incident, but it never showed up. The Quartermaster Department hired these boats privately. They were not considered part of the military, so the owners were paid, and it was their responsibility to pay the crew and captains and pilots, so there were no claims possible for some of these men for pensions or anything like that. Working and the soldiers being transported in the massachusetts got there pensions and things got their pensions and things, but the men from the Black Diamond thehad been members of alexandria steam engine Fire Department were not eligible for pensions of any kind, so they were never given anything at all. The context contracts for both ships stated that war risk was to be borne by the United States but that marine risk was to be borne by the owners. This was considered marine risk, so the government took no responsibility in any of this at all. Lee said that would free what he could from oft he could learn the cause the accident was the pilot of the massachusetts. He called for them to be arrested and further licensed to be taken away. For their license to be taken away. Theinquiry was done by third supervising district of inspectors of steam vessels, which was normal. That was procedure of the day. There was nothing unusual about that it all. And they determined after their investigation that both pilots wholly disregarded the rules established and consequently their licenses will be revoked. There was also their opinion that this lamentable loss of human life is caused by the present system. To getd twice tried congress to change the rules on the life light in signaling. And signaling. Congress decided no matter. It is good on the ocean, it is good on the rivers and the lakes. There were not as many lights on the Black Diamond is there could have been. The massachusetts was not required to signals coming through channels. It could have been avoided. We really do not just not know. We really just do not know. I would love to find out what their thinking was and what their arguments were. And we do not know the names of the pilots in that kind of thing. So we really just dont know. Four of the members of the Black Diamond crew that were lost were civilian employees, like i said, at the steam firehouse in alexandria. And they were given military honors and buried at the federal cemetery and ask andrea in alexandria, which was actually the First Military cemetery ever inaugurated, so that was kind of nice, and they have a very nice marker there. Most of them did not get pensions. Were neverm went on, recovered. If you do not have a body, it is hard to claim a pension. If you are a woman and you have lost your son, it is hard to claim you are dependent on them so these people were just in a mess. List. Not have a complete it is really hard to come up with their names because they did not come from a single place. They came from all over the place. They represented 25 or 30 different regiments. Many of them had been at the battle of plymouth and captured and put in andersonville. They were released from andersonville in 1864, went to camp pearl where they were nursed by clara barton, and then get on the massachusetts and were drowned. It is a pitiful incident. There were 13 members of the 16th connecticut. Seven of the 13 were drowned and lost. Only 37 of the bodies were recovered, so people just did not have the opportunity to bury their people. Sank. Ack diamond in 1867, a man was given permission to raise her. He wanted to salvage the iron and sell it, but we do not know if he ever did it. Dischargedusetts was june 10, 1865, and became embroiled in a legal battle over the cost of repairs. Was approved the airs, but by the tanton time they were done, his brother lein against the ship a lien against the ship. After that, it went back into private service and we lose track of it. We do not know what happened to it. 155 years ago today that all this happened, and these men gave their lives in the service of their country. Another interesting aspect that people always say no one ever died. Here are 87 men that died during the manhunt. They were not actually pursuing him. They were hoping to catch him before he crossed, but they gave their lives nonetheless. Its nice that we can remember this again now and bring it back to peoples attention. I a