American Civil War, Footsteps of History, War between States

Footsteps of History

The American Civil War
Hawley, Pennsylvania

1864, July 15

Shohola, Pennsylvania, near Hawley

3.p.m. Troop train carrying 833 Confederate POWs over the Erie Railroad to Elmira, NY collides head on with a coal train 1 mile west of the town. About 51 prisoners and 17 guards dead, 100 injured, plus 4 train crew dead. Worst train disaster of the Civil War. The coal train came from Hawley to enter the main line where the collision occurred. There were claims that the dispatcher responsible for the collision spent the night before drinking and dancing in Hawley and came to work drunk. This fact about the dispatcher is not completely confirmed.

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Thanks for coming! Don't forget to come back soon. Return to the Footsteps of History Home page to choose a new trail. Return to the Footsteps of History - Civil War home page or click on the Follow the Footsteps logo above to go to the next point on the Civil War Trail This page was created 16 July 2004 & was updated on 29 June 2012 at 5:52 pm