Vicksburg was a strategically important port city on the Mississippi River, half way between New Orleans and Memphis. Not only did Vicksburg control passage up the Mississippi, but it also linked the Confederate capital, Jackson, to the river. For the Union, it was imperative that they seize Vicksburg in order to split the Confederacy in two.
The Confederates' position in Vicksburg was formidable. The city was situated on a ridge overlooking at a sharp bend in the river, which itself presented its own obstacles in the form of sandbars and marshes. Impressive earthworks were thrown up and 170 artillery pieces were emplaced.
In 1863 Union general Ulysses S Grant led his army to Jackson and then swung west to cut the capitol off from Vicksburg. In an attempt to smash his way through he attempted a frontal assault, but was defeated with heavy loss. Grant changed tack and settled in to besiege the city while the Union fleet attempted to force their way up the Mississippi. https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm
Painting of the Union siege of Vicksburg.
Forcing the passage of the Mississippi was no easy task for the Union fleet. The river varied from wide and slow to narrow and winding and the Confederates opposed the fleet's passage all the way. Confederates fortified islands and strong points, mined the river and attacked the Union fleet with armoured gunboats. Both sides found it necessary to build ironclads for the riverine war.
USS Cairo (pronounced by Americans as 'kay-row') was one of four City class ironclad paddle-wheelers built for the Union river campaign by the James Eades company of Mound City, Illinois. 53 metres long and 15 metres wide, the ships were constructed of wood over which a casemate of iron rails was added for protection. The ships were powered by a single paddle wheel on the centreline, protected within the casemate. The ship was armed with whatever guns were available. Three heavy Dalgren guns were mounted forward and four mixed calibre guns were mounted on each side.
The Cairo commenced service in February 1862 and was involved in several actions against Confederate gunboats and shore positions over the next six months. On 12 December 1862, while clearing mines from the river ahead of an attack on Haines Bluff, the Cairo was destroyed by a mine detonated by Confederate troops observing from the riverbank. The ship sank in a few minutes but no lives were lost. The USS Cairo entered the history books as the first ship sunk by a remotely controlled mine.
Union forces attempted to salvage some of the guns and the engine from the wreck, but this proved difficult so the engine and most of the guns were abandoned. As the wreck was a hazard to shipping the ship was blown up. The wreck's position was then forgotten, disappearing under the silt. The silt however, protected the remains.
When the wreck was discovered in 1952, proposals were put forward to salvage the ship. Initially artefacts such as guns and the pilot house were removed.
The pilot house of the Cairo was raised in 1960.
In 1962 an attempt was made to lift the entire ship from the riverbed. This resulted in the ship beginning to break apart. After further assessment the decision was made to cut the ship into three parts and reassemble the ship ashore. The bow section, which is the best preserved was raised in 1965. The lengthy process of preserving and reassembling the wreck then commenced.
An excellent archive of photographs of the salvage can be found here: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/search.html?q=USS+Cairo
In 1971 the National Parks services was authorized to move the preserved remains of the USS Cairo to the Vicksburg National Battlefield park, where she can be seen today. https://www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm
The hull has been reassembled in a special cradle to keep the wreck intact. New sections of the ship have been constructed where parts are missing so that the entire ship can be appreciated.
In this photo you can see how the port side hull beams have been replaced with modern timber, compared to the original timbers of the bow. The corner of the armoured casemate and port side armour is missing.
Looking back through paddle wheel box. Constructed in the same way as a civilian paddle wheeler, the Cairo has a very low draft of less than two metres. Two reciprocating steam engines, one on each side provided the power.
The armoured pilot house. The armour was crude iron plates, riveted together. They protected against musket and light cannon, but would not have resisted explosive shell.
The side armour consists of short iron plates, mounted vertically.
But further to the rear the armour consists of repurposed railway iron, mounted transversely. This was an easy and effective method also used by the Confederates.
The boilers
A model of the Cairo. You can see the railway iron armour on the front of the casement.
A field gun inside the museum
Monument to the CSS Arkansas, a Confederate ironclad which was lost defending the city.
The Vicksburg Battlefield Park
Rotunda monument
The Vicksburg National Battlefield Park can be found on the riverfront of Vicksburg. It's a large site but you can drive around it about an hour, with stops to visit the sites. The National Parks Service offered a great 'drive yourself' tour on CD, which guides you through the sites of the battles. The battlefield map is also excellent. Vicksburg was an important battlefield in the American Civil War and well worth a visit on any tour through the Southern States. https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm
The USS Cairo museum is also worth a diversion on the tour. You can see the ship from the outside and don't need to go into the small museum alongside, but the small entrance fee to the museum goes towards preservation of the ship so it's worth making the donation. https://www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm
For more on Civil War ironclads http://steamboattimes.com/civil_war_ironclads.html
https://www.navalanalyses.com/2014/10/infographics-6-american-civil-war.html
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