My New Book of Old Poetry

[L Verge]

According to the previously posted biography on J.B. Tabb, he was lucky enough to be released from Point Lookout in February of 1863. If he had not been, I wonder if he might have been a victim of the Great Shohola Train Wreck, which occurred in July of 1864, as nearly 850 Confederate prisoners were being transported from Point Lookout to the new Camp Rathbun in Elmira, NY, which had just been opened to relieve the crowding at the Maryland camp.

Here's a brief Wikipedia account: A mile and a half (2.4 km) from Shohola [PA], the track passes through "King and Fuller's Cut" which had only 50 feet (15 m) of forward visibility as the track negotiated a series of blind bends. The trains collided head-on with a crash so fierce that it was said that locals 'felt it as an earthquake'.[1] The combined speed was more than 30 mph, and propelled the wood stacked in each engine's tenders forward into the cabs; killing both engineers and firemen. The wooden box cars were telescoped into each other.[3] Of the 37 men in the car immediately behind the engine, 36 were killed outright, the only survivor being thrown clear. Most casualties occurred in the first three box cars, those riding further back escaped death though many were injured. A ring of uninjured guards was formed around the wreck but despite this five Confederate prisoners escaped and were never recaptured.[4] Frank Evans, a Union guard described the scene: "The two locomotives were raised high in the air, face-to-face against each other, like giants grappling...The front (car) of our train was jammed into a space less than six feet. The two cars behind it were almost as badly wrecked. There were bodies impaled on iron rods and splintered beams. Headless trunks were mangled between the telescoped cars"[6]

Aftermath[edit]
The citizens of Shohola and nearby Barryville, New York, treated the wounded 'without regard to the colour of their uniforms'[2] and doctors sent by two relief trains from Port Jervis worked throughout the night.[5] The official death toll was 65 people killed composed of 44 prisoners, 17 guards, and 4 railway staff,[4] however estimates range from between 60 and 72.[5] A subsequent enquiry found the dispatcher, who fled the scene, to be negligent.[3]

The dead were buried in unmarked graves next to the track, where they remained for 47 years until 1911 when they were moved to the Woodlawn National Cemetery at Elmira, and the Shohola Monument erected with the names of the Union soldiers on one side and the names of the Confederate soldiers on the other.[3] The Shohola Railroad Historical Society houses a museum dedicated to the wreck in a caboose stationed permanently in Shohola.[1

For further info and modern photos: http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc11/shohola1.htm