Crowdfund This: ‘Sultana’

This is a pretty incredible story, and like most folks, it’s one I’ve never even heard of.

According to the Kickstarter campaign, “The Sultana disaster is one of the most horrific events in U.S. history and yet few are aware that it even occurred.  A Mississippi steamboat, the Sultana, exploded just north of Memphis, Tennessee in the early morning hours of April 27, 1865 killing over 1,800 souls.  The boat was overloaded with over 2,300 Union soldiers, newly released POW’s on their way back home after surviving the horrors of Civil War prison camps. This accident wasn’t only tragic because POW’s died on the way home; it’s not just tragic because greed-driven men squeezed well over 2,000 individuals onto a vessel licensed to carry 367 passengers; the Sultana disaster is tragic because it was covered up and, ultimately, forgotten. Greed, drama, and humanity make the Sultana a story to remember. Please help us remember the Sultana and raise this story from the depths of the Mississippi and into the hearts of people everywhere.”

This sounds absolutely insane to me. The boat should have only carried 367 people, but was loaded to over 2300. What.

Less than 2% of Americans have ever heard of the country’s greatest maritime disaster, and that’s something that Mark Marshall wants to change. He’s set out (along with Sean Astin, Jim Michaels, Matthew Egan, Leah Cevoli, Jeff Hoopingarner, Mark Alan Ray, and more) to tell the tale of the ill-fated ship, and “honor the victims of the Sultana by reaching as many people as possible with their story. This production will serve as a beacon of hope to establish the Sultana story in American history books across the nation. Our mission is to assist the Sultana Movement in establishing this event among the great tragedies of The Civil War. These were common men who were tested in battle, suffered in Confederate prison camps and survived, only to die within sight of home. They deserve to be remembered and honored by the nation they served.”

The campaign is making some great progress, and is currently sitting at $29, 740 of its $75, 000 goal. With 14 days left to raise funds, things our looking positive, but the team needs our help if the Sultana story is to be told. There are some fantastic rewards up for grabs, including wristbands, downloads, DVDs, Blu-Rays, shirts, autographs, producer credits, and much more.

You can take a look at the video for the Kickstarter campaign below, and head here to back the project!