Stone Pens Book on Black Diamond Disaster
Karen Stone has published “Shipwreck on the Potomac: Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln’s Killer,” a book about the Black Diamond Disaster, a “forgotten” tragedy that occurred on the Potomac River near St. Clement’s Island during the American Civil War during the hunt for presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth.
Ms. Stone is the manager of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division. The book was unveiled at the 160th anniversary commemoration of the Black Diamond Disaster in April at St. Clement’s Island Museum in Colton’s Point.
The synopsis tells a tale that few, even within the local community, are aware of:
“It was a calm, moonless night in late April 1865. Robert E. Lee had surrendered. Abraham Lincoln was dead. Assassin John Wilkes Booth and accomplice David Herold, previously hiding in the swamps of Southern Maryland, had crossed the Potomac River to safety. The barge, Black Diamond, was anchored with the Potomac Flotilla near Blackistone Lighthouse, hoping to prevent that crossing and catch the perpetrators. All onboard were unaware that they were too late. The steamer Massachusetts was running downriver carrying U.S. soldiers back to their regiments. By dawn, the Black Diamond was on the bottom of the river, the Massachusetts was crippled, and eighty-seven men were dead.”
Ms. Stone reveals the story of a heroic pursuit that turned tragic.
Published by The History Press, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing, the book went on sale April 29. It is available online at Arcadia and Amazon, or in the museum stores at St. Clement’s Island Museum, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, and the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown.
Reflecting on her journey, Ms. Stone said, “Writing something like this, which tells a true story about real people, is a very scary venture, but I have had massive amounts of support along the way and have been inspired by so many different individuals to just write it, get it published, and not worry about having all the answers to all of the questions — and so I did.”
There are still more questions to answer and more names to be added to the list of men lost, she said.
“But now the story is being told, and I hope others read it and appreciate what these men went through and recognize that not all history is great glory, huge battles, and medals. Some of them are small and simply tragic. But it is all important.”
In 2019, she wrote “Peril on the Potomac: The Sinking of Black Diamond,” for America’s Civil War Magazine and found that there was much more to uncover about the tragedy.
Ms. Stone’s research has identified more than 20 previously unknown people lost in the incident.
“I haven’t yet identified all 87 men, but I haven’t given up, and won’t until they are all found,” she said.
