Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
The Sinking of Cairo
On December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River, a Confederate torpedo tore open Cairo's bow. The Union gunboat sank in 12 minutes. Cairo became the first armored warship sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
The torpedo which sank Cairo was a crude apparatus. Lieutenant Commander Selfridge may have been less than cautious in waters known to contain torpedoes becasue so many of the Confederate weapons had been duds.
Two Confederate sailors, Acting Masters Zedekiah McDaniel and Francis M. Ewing, had charge of placing the torpedoes. Volunteers, whose names are lost to history, hid behind the river bank and detonated the explosive with an electric charge.
The damage from the blast can be seen on the port bow.
(captions)
This drawing represents the Confederate torpedo (a mine in today's language) that sank Cairo. It is taken from a sketch which accompanied an official Union report of the incident.
Wood Float/Wires to galvanic cell on shore/5-gallon glass demihohn filled with black powder/Rope to shore/Anchor
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 12, 1862.
Location. 32° 22.539′ N, 90° 52.004′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in Warren County . Marker is on Cairo Museum Circle north of Union Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Vicksburg MS 39183, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Torpedoed & Sunk (here, next to this marker); U.S.S. Cairo (here, next to this marker); Seven Ironclads in 100 Days (a few steps from this marker); Capstan - USS Cairo (a few steps from this marker); A Crew of Immigrants (a few steps from this marker); A Ton an Hour - USS Cairo (a few steps from this marker); Chimneys - USS Cairo (a few steps from this marker); Pilothouse - USS Cairo (a few steps from this marker).
More about this marker. The marker is located next to the remains at the Cairo Museum, under the canopy.
Also see . . . USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum. Vicksburg National Military Park, National Park Service (Submitted on October 5, 2015.)
Additional keywords. The Sinking of Cairo
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 567 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. submitted on October 2, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.