LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Karen Stone, Manager of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division, debuted her book, Shipwreck on the Potomac: Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln’s Killer, at the 160th anniversary commemoration of the Black Diamond Disaster on April 26-27, 2025, at St. Clement’s Island Museum. Published by The History Press, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing, the book, released April 29, 2025, is the first to chronicle the 1865 maritime tragedy on the Potomac River that claimed 87 lives during the hunt for John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
The disaster occurred in the early hours of April 23, 1865, when the steamer Massachusetts, carrying Union soldiers, collided with the Black Diamond, a coal barge stationed near St. Clement’s Island to block Booth’s escape. Stone writes, “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.”
Stone’s research, sparked by her 2019 article “Peril on the Potomac: The Sinking of Black Diamond” for America’s Civil War Magazine, uncovered over 20 previously unknown victims. She said, “I haven’t yet identified all 87 men, but I haven’t given up, and won’t until they are all found.” Reflecting on the project, she added, “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.” She continued, “There are still more questions to answer and more names to be added to the list of men lost. 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!”
The book is available at Arcadia Publishing, Amazon, and museum stores at St. Clement’s Island Museum, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, and the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown, as well as local bookstores. Signed copies were offered at the weekend event, which included a wreath-laying ceremony and book signings. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, overseen by Stone since 2017, preserves the region’s history, including sites tied to the disaster.
The Black Diamond Disaster, often overshadowed by Lincoln’s assassination, occurred when the Massachusetts struck the Black Diamond’s port side, sinking it in minutes. Stone’s work ensures the 87 victims, many from Camp Parole, are remembered. Her ongoing research aims to identify all lost soldiers, honoring their sacrifice in a lesser-known Civil War tragedy.
