In 1912, a train of Civil War veterans traveled through Eastabuchie on its way from Texas to Macon, Georgia, for a reunion of Confederates. The train traveled the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, carrying men to attend the event scheduled for May 7-9 [1].
Macon was a small town at the time, unable to house all of the expected visitors. As had been done for the Confederate Veterans' Association reunion in Little Rock the year before, a large number of tents and cots were loaned by the US Government to the veterans for use during the reunion. As many as 25,000 veterans were expected for the event. The reunion was actually the 22nd for the National UCV, although many confederate reunions had occurred in the years post-Civil War.
On May 6, though, as some 80 veterans passed through Hattiesburg and proceeded towards Meridian, the train they traveled on hit uneven track at a train trestle one mile south of Eastabuchie. Early reports suggested that possibly dozens of veterans had died, but following a lengthy investigation into the crash and aftermath, the number was less than ten killed, though some 58 were injured.
Photo of train wreck at Eastabuchie, MS, 1912; Tennessee Virtual Archives, TN State Library & Archives
The train, under the direction of engineer W. A. Wood, entered the area moving at 30-35 miles per hour. The particular area of track had been under slow orders in previous months because of track conditions, and the recent heavy rains had not improved things. Just the week prior the tricky part of track had been supported with additional gravel but was nonetheless unstable. As the train approached the trestle, the section of track that had settled in the muddy ground created a dip that caused the front wheels of the forward tender truck to leave the track. In the process, the ties on the bridge were broken and scattered, causing the following trucks and end of cars to strike each other and the bridge, causing it to collapse. The engine and tender that had passed across the bridge turned over as well, some 180 feet north of the trestle. The fourth and fifth cars, in which all of the fatalities and most injuries occurred, had "telescoped each other" and were completely destroyed. These cars were older than many running the lines at the time, having been built more than 25 years prior, and they had wooden underframes, making them more susceptable to significant damage. The entire train had been examined in Hattiesburg just 7 miles south, but track conditions had created a dangerous situation that had not yet been resolved. No matter the condition of the train or the caution of the engineer, the combination of old train cars and an uneven trestle ended in disaster [4].
According to The Mansfield News in Ohio, May 6, 1912, the dead and missing included:
Mrs. Charles L. Ames, Bay Springs, TX
Mrs. James Cameron, Henderson, TX
Two unidentifed girls ages 3 and 5 (parents also thought to have been killed or missing under the wreck)
Engineer W.A. "Billy" Wood, Hattiesburg, MS
Fireman C.C. Jones, Meridian
Dr. Boone, Mr. Denham, and one additional man from Mansfield, LA
Five additional unidentified persons
More specifics on the accident can be found in the Interstate Commerce Commission's Accident Bulletin, Issue 44.
[1] Confederate Veteran, Vol. XXX, No. 6, June 1922,
[2] US House of Representatives, 62d congress, 2nd session - Report no. 208, Mr. Tilson, Committee on Military Affairs, "Loan of Certain Tents"
[4] Interstate Commerce Commission, Accident Bulletin, Issue 44, p. 38-39.
[5] The Mansfield News Ohio - cited at gendisaster.com