A New Look at the Sultana Disaster-- Part 3: Ozias Hatch and A. Lincoln's Involvemnet

Ozias Hatch was Mr. republican in the state of Illinois and a close friend of Abraham Lincoln.  He was also Reuben Hatch's brother and looked out for him.  He intervened in an earlier court martial of Reuben for being AWOL.  Ozias Hatch went to Abraham Lincoln and had the charges dropped.  Reuben then was made a quartermaster in the Union Army and later promoted to lieutenant colonel, then full colonel.

After the Sultana disaster, had Lincoln not already have been assassinated, his role in keeping Reuben Hatch might have come under scrutiny.

Of course, a major reason the Sultana was overlooked was the nation being in mourning for the fallen president.

The last Sultana survivor died in 1937.  Reuben Hatch died in 1871 at the age of 57 and refused to testify during the investigation after the tragedy.

--Old B-Runner