Visit the USS Cairo Museum at Vicksburg National Military Park

Visit the USS Cairo Museum is one of the best things to do in Mississippi. The USS Cairo, named after the Illinois city, was commissioned in January 1862. This powerful, 13-gun ironclad vessel was part of a group of similar gunboats designed to assist Union forces in defeating Confederate opposition during the American Civil War. The Cairo, however, was not destined to succeed in its mission, as it was sunk by an electronically detonated torpedo in the Yazoo River just seven miles north of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The USS Cairo, which can be seen at the Vicksburg National Military Park, was sunk the same year it was commissioned. It sat in the mud for nearly a century until a cannon and the pilothouse were discovered, and a full salvage operation was soon underway. The restored ship, as well as thousands of recovered artifacts, are now on display. The Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates the battle that took place in this strategically important town during one of the Civil War's most decisive periods. General Grant was captured here, giving Union forces control of the waterway. The park is also home to Vicksburg National Cemetery, which is home to 17,000 fallen Union Soldiers, as well as another 1,300 US military veterans who have lost their lives in conflicts since then.

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Address: 400 2nd St, Indianola, MS 38751
Phone: 3201 Clay St, Vicksburg, MS 39183
Website: visitvicksburg.com/uss-cairo-museum