The Sultana steamboat disaster remains the deadliest maritime tragedy in American history, yet few know its story. In the predawn hours of April 27, 1865, the sidewheel steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, seven miles north of Memphis. The vessel was catastrophically overloaded, carrying over 2,300 passengers—six times its legal limit. Most were Union soldiers, emaciated and elated, heading home after enduring horrific conditions in Confederate prison camps like Andersonville. The journey was meant to be their final reward. Instead, a perfect storm of greed, neglect, and natural forces conspired.