1864 — Dec 22, U.S. Steam transport North America sinks, storm off coast of north FL –197

— ~200 Childs. A History of…U.S. In Chronological Order From…1492…to…1885. 1886, 201.
— ~200 New York Times. “Loss of Life by the Sinking of the North America.” 1-24-1865, p. 4.
— 197 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 137.
— 197 Gaines. Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Louisiana State Univ. Press, 2008, p. 15.
— 197 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 685.
— 197 Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. Report of the Supervising Inspector… 1865, p212.

Narrative Information

Childs: “On the night of the 22d of December, the steamship North America, which left New Orleans on the 16th, sunk at sea. Of those on board, nearly two hundred persons were lost, most of whom were sick soldiers.” (Childs 1886, p. 201.)

Gaines: “North America. Union. Chartered by the War Department. Screw steamer, 1,651 tons. En route from New Orleans for New York City. Carried 225 sick and wounded soldiers. Built in 1864 at Philadelphia. Foundered at latitude 31⁰ 10′ north, longitude 78⁰ 40′ west, on December 22 or 24, 1864, with the loss of 197 people.” (Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Louisiana State Univ. Press, 2008, p. 15.)

Supervising Inspector of Steamboats: “The ship propeller North America left New Orleans December 15, 1864, bound for New York. On the 22d, during a heavy gale of wind, sprung a leak forward, and notwithstanding all the exertions made by the officers and crew, foundered the same night. There were on board 203 sick soldiers, 12 cabin passengers, and a crew consisting of 44 men, making a total of 259 persons, of whom only 62 were saved. Loss of property, including ship, estimated at abut $300,000.” (Report of the Supervising Inspector… 1865, p. 212.)

Newspaper

NYT: “On Thursday last we announced the loss, at sea, of the United States steam transport North America, which disaster was coupled with the loss of nearly 200 lives, chiefly the invalid soldiers from the United States General Hospital, in this city [New Orleans]. The North America was a new ship, and believed to be much more staunch and seaworthy than the average of transports. She probably encountered a severe gale, and sprang a leak from the strain to which it subjected her. We have received from headquarters a complete list of the names of her passengers….[we omit].” (NYT, Jan 24, 1865; from New-Orleans Times, January 12, 1865)

Sources

Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972.

Childs, Emery E. A History of the United States In Chronological Order From the Discovery of America in 1492 to the Year 1885. NY: Baker & Taylor, 1886. Google digitized. Accessed 9-4-2017: http://books.google.com/books?id=XLYbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Gaines, W. Craig. Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2008.

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

New York Times. “Loss of Life by the Sinking of the North America.” 1-24-1865, p. 4. Accessed 12-27-2020 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1865/01/24/78737514.html?pageNumber=4

Pierce, Frederick Clifton. Pierce Genealogy, No. IV, Being the Record of the Posterity of Capt. Michael, John and Capt. William Pierce who came to This Country from England. Albany, NY: Joel Munsell’s Sons, 1889. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=RnlIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=%22Steamship+North+America%22+1864&source=web&ots=4VZ14wiFGE&sig=r2Iy-5qR-NquHqEX7JCSE-3GrBA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPP7,M1

Supervising Inspector of Steamboats (U.S.). “Report of the Supervising Inspector of Steamboats,” in United States Secretary of the Treasury. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the State of the Finances for The Year 1865. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1865. Accessed 12-27-2020 at: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-194/report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-year-1865-5509/report-supervising-inspector-steamboats-302219