Captured in the Civil War, Shipwrecked on the Sultana — and Somehow My Ancestor Made It Home
The story of my great-great-grandfather, Wilson S. Tracey, has been passed down through our family for generations. Through family stories, military records, photographs, and historical accounts, we have been able to preserve the remarkable journey of a young Ohio farmer who endured war, imprisonment, and one of the greatest maritime disasters in American history.
Wilson S. Tracey
Wilson S. Tracey was born in Holmes County, Ohio, on April 1, 1842. At 19 years old, he enlisted in the service of the United States on August 7, 1862, at Wooster, Ohio, joining Company H of the 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry for a term of 3 years. Before the war, he was a farmer. His military records describe him as 5 feet 6¾ inches tall, with a dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair.
Wilson’s Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) cards
Captured and imprisoned
Wilson served with the Union Army until he was captured at Athens, Alabama, in September 1864. Family accounts say he was taken prisoner and sent to Cahaba Prison in Alabama, where he remained for approximately 7 months.
Cahaba Prison, drawn from the memory of Jesse Hawes, who was held there
Life in the prison was harsh. One story handed down through our family tells of a frying pan that Wilson and several other prisoners used to cook their meals. Every day, they hid the pan in the ashes of the fire so that it would not be stolen.
In March 1865, the Alabama River flooded and inundated Cahaba Prison. Wilson later described standing in freezing water up to his waist for 3 days. He told of snakes and rats climbing into the rafters to escape the rising floodwaters.
Military records confirm that Wilson was held as a prisoner of war from September 1864 until his parole on April 21, 1865.
The Sultana disaster
At the end of the war, Wilson and thousands of other recently released prisoners were transported to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where they boarded the steamship Sultana for passage north.
A photo of the ill-fated Sultana in Helena, Arkansas
Just below Memphis, Tennessee, on April 27, 1865, the boilers aboard the Sultana exploded. Wilson was thrown into the Mississippi River. According to the story passed down in our family, he managed to grab a plank from the burning vessel and floated downstream through the night until he was rescued at dawn by a passing steamer.
He was taken to a soldiers’ home in Memphis, where he recovered before continuing his journey home.
The disaster remained an important part of his life. In 1892, Chester D. Berry published Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors, a collection of accounts from survivors of the tragedy. A paragraph written by Wilson was included in the book. Our family is fortunate to own one of the few remaining original copies.
Cover page of Loss of the Sultana: Reminiscences of Survivors
Wilson’s entry in the book
The journey home
One of the family stories that has endured the longest is Wilson’s return home.
After recovering from his ordeal, he made his way north and eventually walked from Cairo, Illinois, to Fredericksburg, Ohio. Family members were working outside when they looked up and saw him approaching across a cornfield. After years of war, captivity, hardship, and survival, he had finally come home.
Wilson was officially mustered out of service on May 20, 1865, in Columbus, Ohio.
Preserving his story
Over the years, our family has worked to preserve Wilson’s legacy. We have obtained copies of his military records, including the Compiled Military Service Record cards that trace his status from active duty, to missing in action, to prisoner of war, and finally to parole and discharge. We also have a photograph of him in uniform with his military company.
Family members have visited the site of Cahaba Prison in Alabama, attended reunions of the Sultana Survivors Descendants organization, and donated memorabilia for display at the Sultana Disaster Museum in Arkansas.
We continue to pass down his stories of prison life, his experiences during the Civil War, and his long journey home.
A legacy we are proud to share
Our family is very proud of the role Wilson S. Tracey played during such a pivotal period in American history. He enlisted to serve his country and fight for the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. He endured separation from home and family, faced the realities of war, survived capture and imprisonment, lived through the flooding of Cahaba Prison, and escaped one of the deadliest maritime disasters in United States history.
As descendants spanning the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th generations, we hope that Americans can appreciate the sacrifices made by Wilson Tracey and countless others who served during the Civil War. His story reminds us of the courage, determination, and resilience required to overcome extraordinary circumstances.
Descendants of Wilson S. Tracey. Barbara is second from the right in the turquoise patterned top
Our family takes great pride in his legacy and will continue telling his story for generations to come. When we look back on his life, we see not only a soldier who survived war, imprisonment, and disaster, but a man whose perseverance carried him all the way home.
Many thanks to MyHeritage user Barbara Sprunger for sharing her ancestor’s incredible story with us. Explore more American Family Stories and discover how ordinary families experienced extraordinary moments in U.S. history on MyHeritage’s America 250 hub.
