Texas Monument located in
Vicksburg, Mississippi - National Military Park

One of Many  Civil War Monuments

Visit the National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi located on the East Bank of the
Mighty Mississippi River.

A little history from that big war:

Legacy from the Past
On December 12, 1862, the Union ironclad gunboat Cairo, along with several other vessels,
steamed up the Yazoo River, north of Vicksburg, to destroy Confederate batteries and clear
enemy obstructions from the channel. Suddenly, two expolsions in quick succession tore gaping
holes in the boat,s bottom. Within minutes the ironclad lay on the bottom of the river, only the
tops of her smoke stacks and flagstaffs above the water. The Cairo had become the first vessel
in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.

It is not for her wartime record, however, that the Cairo has won a lasting place in history, but
because of what went down with her when she sank in the Yazoo. Here was preserved, in time-
capsule form, information about naval construction, naval stories, armament, and the personal gear
of the crew who served on board.

The vast array of artifacts recovered from the gunboat before and after it was salvaged in the early
1960's is now on display at the U.S.S. Cairo Museum adjacent to Vicksburg National Cemetary.
These, together with the remains of the gunboat itself, give new insights into naval life during the
Civil War years.

THe museum can be reached from the park tour road or through the city of Vicksburg via
Fort Hill Drive and Connecting Avenue.

                                                         T. O. Selfridge   Cairo commander

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