General Lyon
Encyclopedia
General Lyon was a U.S. screw steamer
built in the spring of 1863 .
Late in the war, General Lyon was chartered by the US Army for a passage from North Carolina
to Norfolk, Virginia
. On board were a large number of discharged Union
soldiers returning from the war, along with a number of Confederate
prisoners of war, sixty refugees and some other passengers.
On March 17, 1865, two days into the voyage, the ship hit rough weather off Cape Hatteras
and a fire broke out in the engine room, quickly spreading through the ship. Of the passengers on board, approximately 600 lost their lives, including all but three members of a 205-man contingent of the US 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
. There were only 28 survivors of the disaster in total.
A few days later, United States President Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated and General Robert E. Lee
of the Confederacy surrendered to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant
, ending the long and bloody civil war. As a result, the General Lyon disaster was overshadowed by larger historical events, and an investigation into the cause of the tragedy
was never carried out.
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...
built in the spring of 1863 .
Late in the war, General Lyon was chartered by the US Army for a passage from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. On board were a large number of discharged Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers returning from the war, along with a number of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
prisoners of war, sixty refugees and some other passengers.
On March 17, 1865, two days into the voyage, the ship hit rough weather off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
and a fire broke out in the engine room, quickly spreading through the ship. Of the passengers on board, approximately 600 lost their lives, including all but three members of a 205-man contingent of the US 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 56th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 56th Illinois Infantry was organized at Shawneetown, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on February 27, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on...
. There were only 28 survivors of the disaster in total.
A few days later, United States President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was assassinated and General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
of the Confederacy surrendered to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, ending the long and bloody civil war. As a result, the General Lyon disaster was overshadowed by larger historical events, and an investigation into the cause of the tragedy
Tragedy (event)
A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....
was never carried out.
See also
- 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry RegimentThe 56th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 56th Illinois Infantry was organized at Shawneetown, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on February 27, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on...
- List of battles and other violent events by death toll