On Jan. 12, 1857, the The New Orleans Times-Picayune ran a notice for the Cox Brainard & Co. of Mobile providing “New Arrangements” for their steamboats on the Alabama, Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers.
These rivers connected the interior of central and south Alabama and northeast Mississippi with the commercial center and port of Mobile. Cities along them such as Montgomery and Selma on the Alabama, Tuscaloosa on the Warrior and Columbus and Aberdeen on the Tombigbee depended on them as their primary routes for trade and commerce.
The steamers listed as being on the Alabama River were:
■ St. Nicholas, Jesse J. Cox, master
■ St. Charles, A.H. Johnson, master, H.J. King
■ Le Grande, G.W. Cloudis, master
■ Magnolia, S.C. Rurrill, master
■ P. Dalmau, G.H. Kirk, master
“The fine staunch steamer Wm. Bagaley, John C. Sinnott, master, (built expressly for the Lake trade) will run as a tri weekly packet between Mobile and New Orleans, in connection with the above line, giving through bills lading to all points on the Alabama River.”
On the Warrior, “The Wm. B. will also connect with the steamer Selma, T. Cummings, master, running as a regular weekly packet.”
On the Tombigbee were found the Steamers:
■ Messenger, H R Johnston, master
■ Cremona, W. H Buckley, master
■ P.C. Wallis, R Otis, master
■ Sallie Carson, J. A. Mooring, master
■ Eliza Battle, S.G. Stone, master
In addition to the steamers associated with the Cox Brainard & Co. line, the paper also contained advertisements for two other steamboats on the Tombigbee. The Leona was a weekly packet between Mobile, Columbus and Aberdeen. The SS Prentiss was also a weekly packet between Mobile, Columbus and Aberdeen. A packet boat was one that carried both passengers on a regular schedule.
While other steamers, such as the fast-running Alice Vivian, were on the Tombigbee I have not included them as they did not appear in the newspaper advertisements. The Alice Vivian is worth noting, though, as she carried Confederate ordinance from Columbus to Mobile and Selma in January 1863. That was when the Confederate arsenal at Columbus was relocated to Selma.
Many of the steamers listed as being in the Mobile River trade of 1857 had fascinating stories to tell. Of course, there is the Eliza Battle, which I usually write about at some point every year. She is the famous steambat of ghost stories who caught fire and burned on a freezing flooded Tombigbee River on the night and early morning of Feb. 28/March 1, 1858. Though many accounts say a hundred people died on that night of horrors, the actual numbers of those lost was probably 29. The New Orleans Times-Picayune of April 19, 1856, described the Eliza Battle as, “200 feet long overall, 33 1/2 feet beam, 18 (text not clear, may be 10) first floor, and 7 feet hold. She has three boilers, 42 inches diameter, 30 feet long; double engines, of 22 inches cylinder, 9 feet stroke, with doctor and doctor boiler, hoister, &c., in complete running order. Her capacity is 1,000 bales of Alabama cotton. The Eliza Battle is very fast, and has unsurpassed accommodations for passengers.”
While describing the Eliza Battle as having a capacity of 1,000 500-pound bales of cotton, it was reported in the Times-Picayune of Dec. 17, 1857, that “The steamer Eliza Battle, Capt. Stone, arrived (in Mobile) from Columbus yesterday at noon, with 2,036 bales of cotton. This is the largest load that has been received this season.” On her fateful trip of 166 years ago she carried about 1,200 bales of cotton and 55 to 60 passengers.
The Cremona also has an interesting history. Like the Eliza Battle, she was a 200-foot long sidewheeler built in 1852. In 1857 she was a Mobile, Columbus and Aberdeen packet boat. Interestingly she was the first steamboat with a calliope to arrive in Aberdeen. During the Civil War she passed to Confederate control and was used as a troop transport. In 1864 she was intentionally sunk by the Confederate Navy in Mobile Bay to block the ship channel during the battle of Mobile Bay.
The Magnolia, though, listed as being on the Alabama River, was often on the Tombigbee. She is most noted as the steamer first on the scene of the burning Eliza Battle and carried many of the survivors to Mobile. During the Civil War she was part of the Confederate “Tombigbee Fleet” used for troop transport. On April 26, 1865, the fleet surrendered at Demopolis and the Magnolia passed to Union control and served as transport for the 21st New York Artillery.
The SS Prentiss was an independent steamer not associated with no shipping line. She had been built in 1853, and could carry 1226 bales of cotton. A Mobile, Columbus and Waverly packet she would depart Mobile weekly on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. The SS Prentiss was known as a shallow running “swift” boat.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
