The Prison Trainwreck

15 July 1864  

On this date in 1864...

An Erie Railroad train jammed with Confederate prisoners, collided with a freight train in New York. More than 100 injured prisoners were dumped into the Elmira, New York prison compound without treatment. Most died within a few days.

Other Years:

• 1539 - Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s expedition began its march inland from Tampa Bay on his exploration of the South.
• 1830 - The Sioux, Sauk & Fox tribes signed a fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien guaranteeing the U.S. government control of most of Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.
• 1862 - The ironclad ram C.S.S. Arkansas survived a night attack by the federal fleet of U.S. Admiral David Farragut as his ships downriver ran past the batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
• 1870 - Georgia was the first Confederate state to be readmitted to the U.S. during reconstruction.
• 1973 - Nolan Ryan of Refugio, Texas became the first pitcher in two decades to win two no-hitters in a season while playing for the California Angels.

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