Fashion was a Mississippi River steamboat that caught fire burned on December 27, 1866, resulting in 43 fatalities. [1] The boat was carrying 2,700 highly flammable cotton bales. [2] According to one source, the burning of the Fashion "and the heroism of the engineer who stuck to his boat that gave the inspiration for John Hay's best-known poem, 'Jim Bludsoe.'" [3] Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper covered the disaster and published several etchings illustrating the incident. [4] Among the passengers who survived was former Confederate States Senator Gustavus A. Henry. [5]