| From the New Orleans Times Picayune |
| |
| February 28, 1862 |
| |
| Hone Department |
| Collision on the Jackson
Railroad |
| Criminality of an Engineer |
| Slaughter of Mississippi
Volunteers |
| Twenty-five Killed and Many
Wounded |
| Our whole city was shocked
yesterday by the appalling news, brought by an engine on the Jackson
Road, that the special train of the Seventh Mississippi Regiment had
been run into near Ponchatoula and that about two hundred of them had
been killed and wounded. |
| The Seventh had arrived here
the previous day from the lake coast, and had been remarked as one of
the finest body of men that ever passed through our place. The idea that
they were thus decimated on their way to the active seat of war, and had
suffered as severely as if they had been in battle, with the
satisfaction of having fought the enemy, seemed peculiarly painful to
contemplate. Many people inclined to the opinion that this first hasty
report was an exaggerated one, and so it proved when the more seriously
injured men were brought to the city at four o'clock, and the full
particulars were known. |
| The regiment left New Orleans
at half-past four o'clock A. M., on a special train, consisting of
twelve box and passenger cars and the engine. By seven o'clock, when the
collision occurred, they were forty-seven miles from the city, within
one mile of Ponchatoula. There was a very heavy fog all along the road,
so that it was impossible to see far ahead of the engine. The train
which ran into the cars full of soldiers, was a heavily laden one, from
Ponchatoula, bearing ship timber for the gunboats building at this port. |
| Foster, the engineer and
conductor of the lumber train, could not have known that the soldir
train was coming, as there is no means of telegraphing to small stations
on the road, but he knew that in the present times there was a
possibility of such a thing any morning, and he had no right to start
out so early with what is termed by railroad men a "wild train." He has
shown recklessness before, and it is supposed he started off in a rash
hurry to save a little time, taking the chances of seeing or hearing an
extra train, should there be one, in time to check up. |
| When the two engines had
nearly struck, Foster, conscience-stricken and more frightened of the
penalty to come afterward than of his chances in the collision, jumped
off, and picked himself up, ran into the woods that lines this portion
of the track, since which nothing has been heard of him. |
| The engineer of the soldier
train had no notice of the train that was approaching him until it was
within forty of fifty years, and it was then too late even to sound the
warning signal to "break down." |
| The collision itself would be
impossible to describe, so unexpected was it and so fearful in its
might. The lumber train may have been going at the rate of about fifteen
miles an hour and the soldier train about twenty. The first being
heavier and more solid was comparatively uninjured, except the engine,
but the first and second passenger cars, crushing into each other, made
an awful wreck, and piled up dead men and dying in one horrible heap. It
was a long time before they could be all extricated. |
|
Soon after the accident, the down train for the city
arrived at the scene, and fortunately brought, as a passenger, Dr.
G. W. Devron, the house surgeon of the C. S. Army Hospital on Common
street. By his prompt care and the services of Surgeon Bowie and
Assistant Surgeon J. M. Thornhill, of the Mississippi regiment, the
latter of whom forgot in his sympathy for others that one of his own
ribs had been broken, many a gallant volunteer's life was saved who
must otherwise have soon expired. |
|
When the train from this city reached there, the engine
was at once sent back for assistance and brought the first
exaggerated report of the affair. Dr. Devron would not wait,
however, for the arrival of this aid, but had four cars prepared as
soon as possible to bring here all of those who were badly wounded. |
|
The regiment then continued on its way, taking with it
between fifty and sixty slightly wounded, and twenty-one corpses to
be sent to the homes of the several deceased for burial by their
families or friends. |
|
In the meantime, as soon as the news reached the army
headquarters in this city, Dr. Haden, chief of the medical staff,
called for surgical assistance to accompany him on the special train
that Superintendent Williams was getting ready to go up, with a
large lot of litters, bandages, restoratives and other articles of
thoughtful provision. This train started about half-past one
o'clock, and near Manobac met the cars bringing down the wounded, in
charge of their own surgeons and Dr. Devron. |
|
The surgeons who accompanied Dr. Haden were as follows:
Doctors Warren Stone, Mercier, Hensley, McKelvey, Morse, Meux,
Lipscomb, Howard Smith, Chaille, Crawcour and Henderson. |
|
On the way down and at the depot in this city four of the
wounded died of their injuries. The balance were removed to the Army
Hospital, on Common street, except one who had to have a leg
amputated in the depot room. |
|
The number of those who were killed outright or died of
their injuries is twenty-five. Twenty-six more are severely or
dangerously wounded. The following names are all that could be
obtained in this city. The Quitman Rifles occupied the first car,
the Dahlgren Rifles the second and Capt. Farley's company the third
car. |
|
Killed |
|
Of the Dahlgren Rifles: Wm. Boyd, Thos. Boyd, Jos. Adams,
Geo. Sartin, Peter Fielder, Jess Crawford, Jasper Smith, Stephen
Rieves, Frank M. Coglen, Daniel Keen, Purley Dunaway and Daniel
Roberts -- twelve in all. |
|
Of the Quitman Rifles: Lieut. Wilson, Privates Thos.
Edwards, Demey Whittington, Pol. Whittington, Marion Freeman and
four others, names not ascertained -- nine in all. |
|
Of Capt. Farley's company, nine men -- names not
obtained. |
|
Wounded |
|
Of the Dahlgren Rifles: Capt. Williams, leg broken and
ribs fractured; Lieut. J. B. Williams, leg fractured; Wyatt
Thornbill, leg and arm fractured; James B. Wallace, left leg
fractured and amputated; H. C. Hope, dislocation of the hip joint;
Michael Ready, dislocation of knee joint and partially penetrating
wound in bowels; Jess Vine, both legs broken; John Davis, both legs
broken; Jesse Dunaway, fracture of clavicle; George Toms and ---
Harrison, cut and bruised. |
|
Colored servant of Lieut. Ferrell, bruised and sprained. |
|
Of the Quitman Rifles: J. A. Bright, right foot torn off,
requiring amputation; --- McRea, foot smashed; E. J. Foreman,
bruised and cut. |
|
Of Capt. Farley's company -- Sergeant J. L. Beavers had
one leg fractured. |
|
There are eight more wounded members of the regiment at
the hospital, whose names are not given. |
|
Of the employees of the road the only ones hurt were
those on the soldier train. Mike McCarty, wood-passer, mortally
wounded; Andy Fitzpatrick, conductor, arm dislocated; Wm. White,
fireman, cut on the head; Henderson Wall, engineer, slightly
bruised. |
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