At two o'clock in the morning on 27 April 1865, seven miles north of Memphis on the Mississippi, the boilers of the sidewheel steamboat Sultana suddenly exploded. Legally registered to carry 376 people, the boat was packed with 2,100 recently released Union prisoners of war. More than 1,700 people died, making it the worst marine disaster in U.S. history.

To focus on the personal stories of the victims, both civilian and soldier, Gene Eric Salecker patiently collected material from hundreds of letters, period newspaper stories, and other sources. Readers are first introduced to the individuals involved while they are languishing in Confederate prisons and follow their release to an exchange camp outside Vicksburg and their eventual crowding onto the Sultana.

The author's knowledgeable narrative is interwoven with personal reminiscences, including those of the heroic rescuers. He offers unprecedented details about the captain's handling of the steamboat and corrects some long-held myths about the placement of the soldiers on the Sultana and newspaper coverage of the disaster.

A large portion of the book covers rescue attempts, both successful and failed, and the aftermath of the disaster as it affected those involved. With its emphasis on the human-interest aspect of the Sultana's loss, this book brings to the literature a critical point of view and much new research.