Eliza Battle
Encyclopedia
The Eliza Battle was a Tombigbee River
steamboat
that ran a route between Columbus, Mississippi
and Mobile, Alabama
during the 1850s. She was destroyed in a fire on the river near modern Pennington, Alabama
on March 1, 1858. It was the greatest maritime disaster in Tombigbee River history, with estimates of twenty-six people dead out of fifty-five to sixty passengers and a crew of forty-five. The disaster and its aftermath saw the Eliza Battle enter southwestern Alabama
folklore
as a ghost ship, with numerous purported sightings of the burning ship from just north of Pennington to Nanafalia
downriver. The story of the disaster and associated folklore has been fictionalized in several published short stories, most notably in “The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigbee” in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey
.
in 1852. A side-wheeled paddle steamer
, the wooden-hulled ship had a size of 316 tons. She was operated out of Mobile, Alabama
by the firm of Cox, Brainard and Company. One of the most luxurious riverboat
s plying the state's waters at that time, former President
Millard Fillmore
was entertained during a reception on-board the ship in Mobile on April 7, 1854.
, Gainesville
, Demopolis
and numerous small river landings
. By the time that the ship left Demopolis, on February 28, 1858, she was fully loaded with passengers and more than 1200 bales of cotton
. During an already cold night, a strong north wind
began to blow, with the air temperature decreasing another 40°F in the two hours after nightfall.
At roughly 2 a.m. on March 1, 1858, about 32 miles (51.5 km) downriver from Demopolis, near Beckley’s Landing (32.28486°N 87.92779°W), it was discovered that cotton bales on the main deck were on fire. Partially attributed to the strong winds, the fire soon spread out of control. The boat continued downstream out of control. The passengers, in their nightclothes, were forced to burn or seek refuge in the icy river. Some survived by floating atop cotton bales. The Eliza Battle finally came to rest above Kemp's Landing (32.24359°N 88.01238°W), near the modern Alabama State Route 114
bridge over the river near Pennington. The survivors were rescued by local residents, with some having to be retrieved from treetops along the flooded river. All of the casualties were attributed to exposure to the extreme cold during the night. The ship sank below the waters of the Tombigbee following the disaster, with the hull of the wreck remaining on the river bottom in 28 ft (8.5 m) of water to the present day.
13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey the disaster and folklore concerning the ghost ship is recorded as “The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigbee”. The story roughly follows newspaper accounts of the disaster. It is purported in the story that sightings of the ship tend to happen on cold and windy winter nights, with the ship, fully engulfed in flames, appearing on the river near the same locations where the disaster occurred. It also relates that the sightings are said by river-men to foretell of impending disaster and are an ill omen to ships still plying the waters of the river.
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
that ran a route between Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
and Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
during the 1850s. She was destroyed in a fire on the river near modern Pennington, Alabama
Pennington, Alabama
Pennington is a town in Choctaw County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 353.-Geography:Pennington is located at 32°12'13.208" North, 88°3'8.982" West .According to the U.S...
on March 1, 1858. It was the greatest maritime disaster in Tombigbee River history, with estimates of twenty-six people dead out of fifty-five to sixty passengers and a crew of forty-five. The disaster and its aftermath saw the Eliza Battle enter southwestern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
as a ghost ship, with numerous purported sightings of the burning ship from just north of Pennington to Nanafalia
Nanafalia, Alabama
Nanafalia is an unincorporated community in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The community is located on a ridge above the Tombigbee River and the name derives from the Choctaw words for long hill. Nanafalia had a post office at one time, but it is no longer active.-Geography:Nanafalia is...
downriver. The story of the disaster and associated folklore has been fictionalized in several published short stories, most notably in “The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigbee” in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey
13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey
13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey is a book first published in 1969 by folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham and Margaret Gillis Figh. The book contains thirteen ghost stories from the U.S. state of Alabama. The book was the first in a series of seven Jeffrey books, most featuring ghost stories from a...
.
Background
The Eliza Battle was launched in New Albany, IndianaNew Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
in 1852. A side-wheeled paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, the wooden-hulled ship had a size of 316 tons. She was operated out of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
by the firm of Cox, Brainard and Company. One of the most luxurious riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
s plying the state's waters at that time, former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
was entertained during a reception on-board the ship in Mobile on April 7, 1854.
Disaster
Captained by S. Graham Stone and with Daniel Epps as pilot, the Eliza Battle departed Columbus in the last days of February 1858. Only able to negotiate the Tombigbee that far north during the regular flooding of the river during the winter months, the ship made its way downriver with stops at PickensvillePickensville, Alabama
Pickensville is a town in Pickens County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 662.-Geography:Pickensville is located at ....
, Gainesville
Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville is a town in Sumter County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 220.-Geography:Gainesville is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....
and numerous small river landings
Landing (water transport)
A landing is a water terminal which may receive ferry passenger or cargo traffic from marine vessels. They may characterized by long wharves if they handle a large volume of cargo....
. By the time that the ship left Demopolis, on February 28, 1858, she was fully loaded with passengers and more than 1200 bales of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. During an already cold night, a strong north wind
North wind
A north wind is a wind that originates in the north and blows south. The north wind has had historical and literal significance, since it often signals cold weather and seasonal change in the Northern hemisphere.-Mythology:...
began to blow, with the air temperature decreasing another 40°F in the two hours after nightfall.
At roughly 2 a.m. on March 1, 1858, about 32 miles (51.5 km) downriver from Demopolis, near Beckley’s Landing (32.28486°N 87.92779°W), it was discovered that cotton bales on the main deck were on fire. Partially attributed to the strong winds, the fire soon spread out of control. The boat continued downstream out of control. The passengers, in their nightclothes, were forced to burn or seek refuge in the icy river. Some survived by floating atop cotton bales. The Eliza Battle finally came to rest above Kemp's Landing (32.24359°N 88.01238°W), near the modern Alabama State Route 114
Alabama State Route 114
State Route 114 is a route in the southwestern part of the state. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with State Route 10 near Lavaca, an unincorporated town approximately east of Butler...
bridge over the river near Pennington. The survivors were rescued by local residents, with some having to be retrieved from treetops along the flooded river. All of the casualties were attributed to exposure to the extreme cold during the night. The ship sank below the waters of the Tombigbee following the disaster, with the hull of the wreck remaining on the river bottom in 28 ft (8.5 m) of water to the present day.
Folklore
In Kathryn Tucker Windham'sKathryn Tucker Windham
Kathryn Tucker Windham was an American storyteller, author, photographer, and journalist. She was born in Selma, Alabama and grew up in nearby Thomasville....
13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey the disaster and folklore concerning the ghost ship is recorded as “The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigbee”. The story roughly follows newspaper accounts of the disaster. It is purported in the story that sightings of the ship tend to happen on cold and windy winter nights, with the ship, fully engulfed in flames, appearing on the river near the same locations where the disaster occurred. It also relates that the sightings are said by river-men to foretell of impending disaster and are an ill omen to ships still plying the waters of the river.