54. The Union gunboat, the U.S.S. Cairo (pronounced Kay-ro) was struck by a Confederate torpedo in the Yazoo River on December 12, 1862, just north of Vicksburg. The 175 foot iron clad vessel was the first ship in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo. All 160 men on board escaped injury because it took the Cairo about 12 minutes to sink and also because it was close to the river bank. The Cairo has in recent years been resurrected from its watery grave and is now on display at the Vicksburg National Military Park.
Source: visitmississippi.org
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
E-mail Marshall
7 comments:
It's an awesome sight to see. I highly recommend everyone to visit the park where it's housed.
My thought the first time I saw it -- how in the world did that thing float in the first place?
Y'all need to tell me what is fun to do in Vicksburg... I have friends coming in later this month for over a week. I have things to entertain them with in Jackson and New Orleans most of the time, and I wanna take them to Vicksburg but I've never been there and don't know what to do.
C'mon, wise MRBA. Educate me.
Definitely got to do the military park. It's truly interesting and beautiful. There's a mini outlet mall if you're into shopping. And, of course, there are the casinos. . .
I love that you can walk aboard the Cario these days. I bet it was a blast to ride the river in that thing.
I had a great-uncle that helped raise the Cario. Apparently he had an accident while working and suffered a rather severe head injury that he ultimately died from. At least that's the best I can remember from the random stories my mom's told me.
As for what to do in Vicksurg, it depends on the age of the guests. They have a cool riverfront park now (wasn't there when I was growing up)and all kinds of historical stuff from the war. You can always stop by my brother's house and make fun of him, that's what I usually do. Their Christmas parade is Dec 1, I'll be trying to avoid it while at a wedding reception downtown!
We always took friends on the car tour of the battlefield. They have an audio-led tour, so you can stop and look at whatever interests you, then hop back in the car and continue the tour.
We'd usually walk around downtown, too - go to the Biedenharn Candy Company (the Coke museum), and there used to be lots of great places to eat dinner - anyone know if the Biscuit Company is still open? They had great gumbo. :)
Post a Comment