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Flag Still Flying: The Towboat That Blew Herself Apart at Memphis
Flag Still Flying: The Towboat That Blew Herself Apart at Memphis
The Confederate flag flew as the towboat went down - a steam vessel built in 1847, 161 feet 10 inches long, and still flying her colors when a boiler explosion scalded 14 men on June 6, 1862. How did a commercial towboat, converted with cotton bales for armor and carrying only two cannons across eight ships, end up blowing herself apart while her guns pointed forward?
In this episode, we tell the story of the steamer Ocean turned CSS General Beauregard, tracing her construction, conversion, and final actions at Plum Point and…
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