The gunboats of Mound City

My grandmother had a saying, "Sometimes big things come in small packages." I believe this applies to Mound City, Illinois, when it comes to its impact on helping the Union Army win the Civil War. To win the Civil War in the West, the Union had to capture and control the major waterways, such as the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Cairo and Mound City, Illinois, played a major role because of their contribution, not a large decisive battle.

When the Civil War began, James B. Eads, who had been doing river salvage work near Cairo, offered his services to the War Department. Naval Cmdr. John Rodgers was put in charge of producing gunboats for the Union and met Eads in St. Louis. Rodgers rejected Eads' design of Submarine No. 7, which was a catamaran with compartmentalized hulls. Maj. Gen. John C. Freemont overruled Rodger's objection and ordered him to work with Eads on a new design. Luckily, both men got along and created a new design for the gunboats. Eads knew what kind of boat was needed on the Mississippi, and Rodgers knew what the Navy needed. They agreed the boats needed enough propulsion to make good speed against the current, withstand a direct hit (2.5-inch steel plating), be shallow enough not to get grounded (6 feet) and carry as many guns as possible (final design of 13).

Eads turned to Samuel M. Pook, a boat designer already working in Cairo, to design the gunboats. The completed boats were 175 feet long, 51 feet wide, and with shallow depth, they could easily maneuver the waters.

Eads submitted a proposal and was awarded a contract to build seven, City-class gunboats for the War Department costing $89,600 each with delivery by Oct. 10, 1861. Eads' additional modifications to the gunboats delayed delivery to January 1862, doubling the price of the original bid.

When the first gunboats hit the water, people who saw them nicknamed them "Pook's Turtles," and the name stuck. City-class gunboats were named after local cities. Four of the gunboats -- USS St. Louis, Carondelet, Louisville and Pittsburg -- were built at the Carondelet Dry Dock. The remaining three -- USS Cairo, Mound City and Cincinnati -- were built at Mound City Marine Railway and Shipyard facilities.

The USS Mound CityCourtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command

Eads and his workers constructed 32 gunboats used in the Civil War. His City-class gunboats were instrumental in winning battles at Fort Donelson on the Tennessee River, Island No. 10, Memphis, and Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. Once the Mississippi River and its tributaries were secured, the gunboats ceased to be used. The USS Mound City survived the war to be scrapped in November 1865. The USS Cairo's career was cut short when it became the first gunboat in history to be sunk by an an electronically detonated torpedo (mine) in 1862, sinking in 36 feet of water with no lives lost. In 1956 the gunboat was found and is on display at Vicksburg National Military Park.

Many production facilities created during the Civil War have disappeared and only drawings or photos remain. If you're interested in more information on Mound City and its contribution to the Union's war effort, visit facebook.com/MoundCityNationalCemetery.