Civil War 150 Project

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fwn...@comcast.net

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Oct 24, 2011, 10:48:46 AM10/24/11
to Poe Family Research
The 150th anniversary of the Civil War is upon us. In the Civil War
150 programs I have viewed, there are, not surprisingly, few
references to steamboats or the men who owned and operated them. So
today I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the Poes (Adam, Jacob,
Thomas, George W, and George WE) of Georgetown, PA specifically and
all of the men who commanded and operated those Union Army transports
150 years ago.


“Thousands of men, women and children lined the river bank to give the
men a sendoff…The 78th PA Infantry was boarded on Captain Thomas Poe’s
steamboat Clara Poe and the Moderator while the remainder of the men.
horses and canon boarded on the four other steam boats.” ”At 6:00 PM
ropes were released, whistles sounded, anchors weighed, and the Clara
Poe… sailed quickly from the Monongahela River into the Ohio River
enroute to their jump-off point of Louisville, Kentucky, some three
days away. Some of the soldiers standing at the ship’s railing,
watching the city quickly disappearing into the darkening sky, would
never live to see Pittsburgh again” [1]



This sendoff was vividly recorded on Oct 18, 1861 – 150 years ago.
The steamer Clara Poe was one of six steamboats chartered by Commodore
WJ Kountz, who had charge of the transportation by river of troops and
Government supplies. [2] The other five steamers at the Monongahela
Wharf that Oct day were the Moderator, Sir William Wallace, JW
Hallman, Argonaut, and the Silver Wave.

On Apr 17, 1865, the str Clara Poe was burned by the Confederates at
Eddyville on the Cumberland River while transporting supplies and
barges of hay to Nashville. [3] The Moderator on 1 May 1863 collided
at night with the str Horizon a vessel owned at that time by Capt
Thomas S Calhoon of Georgetown, PA. The collision, a Civil War
tragedy where many soldier lives were lost, occurred near Vicksburg.
[4]

The shining example of these steamboat men is a gift to those with a
sense of history.


References.
[1] Arthur B Fox, Pittsburgh during the Civil War, 1860-1865, p.
31-32.
[2] Arthur B Fox, Pittsburgh during the Civil War, 1860-1865, p.
31-32.
[3] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio
University Press, Athens 1994), p. 99.
[4] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio
University Press, Athens 1994), p. 217.


fwn...@comcast.net

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Feb 18, 2012, 12:56:34 PM2/18/12
to fwn...@comcast.net, poefamil...@googlegroups.com

One hundred-fifty years ago, the mayor of Pittsburgh acknowledged the
patriotic service of six steamboat captains. These captains with
their boats, without pay, steamed to Tennessee to transport wounded
and sick soldiers to Louisville and St Louis. Captains Thomas W Poe
and Jackman T Stockdale were Georgetown steamboat men. Three of
these six boats including the two from Georgetown were destroyed
during the war: str Clara Poe, str Horizon, and str Emma.

Pittsburgh, PA,
Feb 19th, 1862

I desire that the captains of the following
steamers be placed on record for the
patriotic
and liberal (volunteering) of their services
and
boats, without renumeration, to proceed
immediately to the Cumberland River to
relieve the sick and wounded soldiers:
Rocket, Capt Wolf; Clara Poe, Capt Poe,
Horizon, Capt Stockdale; Emma, Capt
Maratta; Westmorland, Capt Evans;
Sir William Wallace, Capt Hugh
Campbell.

B. C. Sawyer, Jr., Mayor

fwn...@comcast.net

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Mar 25, 2012, 11:16:52 PM3/25/12
to fwn...@comcast.net, poefamil...@googlegroups.com

Dear Poe friends

 

A fun river tale about Dory Poe is attached.   The story can also e found at the following link:

 

  http://georgetownsteamboats.com/gs/2012/03/24/predicting-freshets/

 

Fran Nash

 


 


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Predicting Freshets.doc
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