This manuscript is a letter written from Martha Jane Misemer to Philip Misemer, the brother of her late husband, Henry Marshall “Marsh” Misemer. Marsh was one of the passengers of the steamboat Sultana who perished following its explosion. This transcription and its attendant annotations, explanatory material, and bibliography were prepared by students in ENGL618: Research Methods in English, the required gateway class for the MA in English at Western Carolina University.