Sultana

April 27, 1865
The worst American disaster of the maritime
No one knows the count of lives lost
The soldiers, civilians, and the sisters of charity
Five dollars a head, Captains Mason and Hatch
Boarded six-times the legal load of the Sultana
Leaving Vicksburg, bound for Cairo
Memphis was the tragic last port of call of Sultana

Six miles out of Memphis a boiler gave out
From the flooding swift river and extra heavy load of Sultana
The current was cold the river was wide
A mile to either side away from the burning Sultana

Three boilers blew fire and lit up the night sky
Hell was a better place than on board the Sultana

The worst American disaster on water
The Titanic of the cold Mississippi was the Sultana

Hell was a better place that night
Titanic of the cold Mississippi was the Sultana