North Carolina's Fort Fisher will reopen Wednesday after six-month closure for completion of new visitor center, notable rebuilding of earthworks section

A gun emplacement is ready for a replica 32-pounder to be installed (all photos Fort Fisher SHS)

Drier weather in the past month – following damaging rainfall in mid-September – allowed construction crews to complete recreated earthworks ready for the reopening of Fort Fisher State Historic Site near Kure Beach, N.C, this Wednesday.

The Civil War site’s new two-story visitor center and the earthworks will open at 9 a.m. Guided tours will be held throughout the day. Patrons will be able to walk up new replica gun emplacements

The site closed in April to allow completion of the visitor center and the recreation of three traverses, bombproofs, a magazine and the sally port. Fort Fisher’s use during World War II helped the Allied cause but destroyed some of its familiar defensive traverses. They were removed to make way for an airstrip when the area was used for training anti-aircraft and coastal artillery units.

Last month, about 18 inches of rain created a cascade of mud at the earthworks site, delaying the site's opening by several weeks.

Rifled and banded pieces are put in place in view of the new visitor center

Everything is complete except one artillery emplacement, said assistant site manager Chad Jefferds.

“Once things dried out enough, (crews)  had to go about getting the dirt that had washed down back onto the mound. This allowed for the carpenters to construct the gun emplacements. It was impressive how quickly they finished everything in light of where things were immediately after the storm,” he said.

Bordeaux Construction of Morrisville, N.C, was the main contractor. The company's Facebook page last week had this account of the placing of artillery.

“The cannon installation was very smooth; it only took around 30 minutes – but it required a 125’ crane with roughly 6,000 lbs of counterweight to be able to get it into location. The carriage had to sit on a 'pintle block' (a concrete column with a cast iron pin about 2” wide on top. There was a hole for this pin under the carriage that was the same size. This took some precise positioning, but we were able to set it (in) one smooth motion.”

Fort Fisher was built on the peninsula between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, south of Wilmington. It is best known as a crucial coastal bastion for the Confederacy.

On Jan. 15, 1865, after a naval bombardment, the Federal army attacked from the western, river side while Marines pushed in from the northeast bastion.

Essentially everything between Shepherd’s Battery on the western end of the fort’s land face and the center sally port were the scenes of intense fighting during the US Army’s assault.

The three new traverses, as with the original six, were the scenes of heavy, close-quarters combat as Union troops pushed east.

The fall of the "Gibraltar of the South" cut off blockade runners and the last supply line through Wilmington to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

The new visitor center stands about 100 yards from the fort wall. It is just north of the east-west line mounds of earth known as traverses. Much of the eastern part of the fort has been claimed by the ocean. 

There is no admission charge for visiting Fort Fisher, but donations are accepted..

Regarding the visitor center, “New sections covering the time before Fort Fisher as well as the span of time between the Civil War and WWII are where we had to bring in the most new artifacts,” Jefferds told the Picket.

“The story is the same and Fort Fisher is obviously the central theme, but the way it’s told is different. We’ve tried to tell the story of Fort Fisher through the eyes of the people who lived, worked, fought and died here.”

The next big event on the site's calendar is the 160th battle anniversary on Jan. 18, 2025. Interpreters will be stationed in the new earthworks.

In case you are wondering whether the weather will again play high jinks for the opening: The forecast for Wednesday calls for partly cloudy skies in the Wilmington area.

USS Cairo gets a much-needed deep cleaning at Vicksburg. The hope is one day the ironclad removed from the Yazoo River will be moved inside to safeguard its future

A conservator studies the white oak and yellow pine used in construction (NPS photo)

The first step in ensuring long-term protection of the remnants of USS Cairo, the first armored vessel sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo, has included the removal of 555 pounds of dirt and debris – and counting.

Terra Mare Conservation has been at Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi since September, conducting dry and wet cleaning of the canopy-covered Union vessel. Park officials say it’s the first time in more than a decade the vessel has undergone “critically needed cleaning and conservation work.”

Superintendent Carrie A. Mardorf told the Picket in an email that nothing is being rebuilt or replaced. “The NPS is taking a strictly preservation approach to the gunboat.”

Terra Mare also is repairing and stabilizing any damaged areas of the white oak and yellow pine used in construction. Corrosion on the bow and cannons is being treated and paint is being touched up.

The Cairo and accompanying museum officially opened in 1980 (NPS)

The ironclad sank in the Yazoo River on Dec. 12, 1862, after it struck a floating Confederate mine. It went down in 12 minutes. Recovered in the 1960s, the Cairo has been a popular draw at the Civil War park since the late 1970s.

The park has posted a couple updates on Facebook, prompting some commenters to ask why the famed wreck is not in a building, away from the elements..

“Enclosing the USS Cairo in an interior setting with climate control is ultimately the best way to preserve the boat for future generations,” Mardorf told the Picket. “All of the recent science and studies that the park has completed in the past year recommend protecting the gunboat with an interior enclosure; however, doing so would require specialized construction funding.”

Congress is currently considering reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), she said. “If renewed, GAOA may provide some funding for the long-term preservation of the USS Cairo.”

Recent work on the site and vacuum bags containing dirt and debris (NPS)

For now, conservators are giving the warship TLC and a top-to-bottom cleaning, removing dirt, dust, pollen, rodent and bird nests, bird guano and trash.

“The biggest surprise thus far has been the amount of dirt removed. As Terra Mare cleans, they are learning a lot more about the condition of the wood and metals, which will be summarized in a final report for the park,” said Mardorf.

The team this week is cleaning the metal pilot house and boilers.

Work is expected to conclude in mid-November. Further temporary closures of the exhibit are possible to protect the public from airborne particles.

The USS Cairo has been treated with a variety of chemical sprays and coatings since the 1970s. Additional studies will be carried out to determine if fungal and insect infestations are present, according to a park summary of the project. “Long-term, the park will embark on a regular, cyclic cleaning and conservation schedule for the ship.”

Mardorf says all of what the public sees is original, with the exception of the 1980s Glulam structure that holds the boat in place.  

The end comes in the Yazoo River above Vicksburg

The USS Cairo’s fame has far exceeded its brief history. Built in a hurry in Mound City, Ill., and commissioned in January 1862, the ironclad sank only 11 months later.

The USS Cairo at anchor in 1862 (Library of Congress)

At 175 feet long and with a top speed of six knots, the vessel carried 13 guns and 251 officers and men. Seven shallow-draft City Class river ironclads prowled the Mississippi River and connecting shallow waterways, menacing Confederate supply lines and shore batteries, the National Park Service says.

The Cairo saw limited action at Plum Point (Fort Pillow), Tenn., in May 1862 and Memphis the following month. Before the Federal attack on Haynes Bluff, Cairo skipper Lt. Cmdr. Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. (below) led a small flotilla of gunboats into the hazardous confines of the Yazoo River on Dec. 12, 1862.

“Tasked with destroying Confederate batteries and clearing the river of torpedoes (underwater mines) the flotilla inched its way up the murky waters. As the Cairo reached a point seven miles north of Vicksburg the flotilla came under fire and the aggressive Selfridge ordered his guns to the ready and called for full steam, bringing the ironclad into action,” the NPS says.

“Seconds later, disaster struck. Cairo was rocked by two explosions in quick succession. The first tore and gaping hole into the port (left) bow of the wooden hulled ironclad. The second detonated a moment later near the armored belt amidships on the starboard side. The hole on the bow proved to be catastrophic.”

Selfridge ordered the Cairo to be beached and the crew to abandon ship. The Cairo slid from the river bank into 36 feet of water with no loss of life. About a half dozen sailors were injured.

Mud protected the ironclad for almost 100 years

The ill-fated ironclad disappeared into history for nearly a century.

Using maps and an old military compass, the legendary Ed Bearss, a historian at Vicksburg National Military Park at the time, and two comrades found the mud-encased ironclad in 1956.

Despite financial shortfalls, barge problems and a zero-visibility river that deposited silt at an alarming rate, the vessel was eventually raised in 1960 and 1964-65.

A portion of the casemate rests on a barge in the Yazoo River (NPS)

Hopes of lifting the ironclad and her cargo of artifacts intact were crushed in October 1964 when the three-inch cables being used to lift the Cairo cut deeply into its wooden hull. It then became a question of saving as much of the vessel as possible. The decision was made to recover the USS Cairo in three sections.

Barges carried the remnants to Pascagoula, Ms. The wreck was moved in 1977 to the Vicksburg park, where it was partially reconstructed and placed on a concrete foundation.

The recovery of artifacts revealed a trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores, and personal property that help tell the story of the sailors that once called the ship home, according to the NPS.

Navy's new heritage and history museum in DC aims to be a more accessible tourist destination with Civil War and other artifacts, a conference center and retail

Conceptual drawing of the interior, subject to changes (AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.)

The new home of the National Museum of the United States Navy – which has some of the Civil War’s most-treasured naval artifacts – will feature a conference center, retail space and enhanced public access, officials announced in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and others gathered at the planned campus at Tingey Street and M Street just outside the Washington Navy Yard. Speakers said the museum will go from a traditional site to a more engaging campus, all the while ensuring the story of sailors' courage and sacrifice will continue to be told.

“It is intended to be a self-funded tourist destination that aims to intrigue, inform and inspire generations of visitors,” the Naval History and Heritage Command said in a news release.

The Navy will work with the nonprofit Navy Museum Development Foundation on construction and operation.

The news release did not indicate when the new site might open. The Picket reached out the Navy and the foundation about any plans to display Civil War artifacts, and they said any firm plans for their future have not been made.

One of several ship's models in the current Building 76 (U.S. Navy photo)

Building 76 of the current museum has been open on Saturdays only as curators and staff prepare for the new location. The “Securing the Seas” Civil War exhibit focuses on control of trade routes, the Federal blockade and technology.

Visitors have to provide ID and have limited access to the area because it is on the secure Washington Navy Yard. The new location will be outside the yard, meaning access will not be restrictive.

The main naval battles explored are New Orleans, Mobile Bay, Hampton Roads and the engagement between USS Kearsarge and Confederate commerce raider Alabama near Cherbourg, France.

Numerous items related to that clash are on display, including the shattered sternpost of the Kearsarge (below), a ship’s bell and a toilet.

Most of the objects from Alabama that were considered underwater archaeological recovery pieces have been removed from display, says Wesley Schwenk, registrar for the museum in Washington. They are retained in storage for preservation purposes. 

Items that have been on display in “Securing the Seas” include a watch bell from USS Merrimack, a Confederate frame torpedo, mustard and pepper bottles from USS Monitor, ship models, a sword belonging to Rear Adm. David D. Farragut and a 12-pounder howitzer.

A drawing on the foundation’s website appears to show an historic Navy building within the new campus.

“The new museum will also become the cornerstone of a Navy Campus based on a sustainable business model designed for long-term durability of the project,” the foundation says. “In addition to freeing up critically needed space at Washington Navy Yard, the mixed-use Campus will create opportunities for vitally needed revenue streams to support museum programs.”

The website touts the city’s “hottest neighborhood” and 22 million annual visitors to the District of Columbia.

“The new National Museum of the U.S. Navy will provide a dramatically improved opportunity for the American public to be inspired by the long history of valor and sacrifice of American sailors in the defense of our country, and to learn the vital importance of seapower to our way of life,” said NHHC director Samuel J. Cox in the news release.

Officials with the foundation cautioned the design of the museum may look very different from conceptual plans on its website.

Kristina Higgins, a public affairs officer for the Navy History and Heritage Command, said submitted design concepts are being considered.

Conceptual drawing of the interior, subject to change (AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.)

“The exhibits in the new museum will be completely researched, designed and installed from a blank slate, drawing upon community input and the very latest scholarship and interpretations in the field of U.S. Naval History,” Higgins said in an email. “To the extent that current exhibits support the interpretations designed for the new building, they may be moved.”

Officials said the museum will include items from the full breadth of naval history.

“Not every item currently on exhibit in the NMUSN will be moved on to the floor of the new museum as new galleries are designed” according to Higgins. “Some pieces may not fit with the new story being told, and therefore they will be placed in our off-exhibit collection to be used at a later date.”

Building 76 will be used as office space, conservation and storage of off-exhibit items in the short term. Long-term plans will be dependent on the needs of the Washington Navy Yard, officials said.

Union soldier's remains were forgotten. Now, they rest in a Rhode Island cemetery

The cremains of Civil War Union soldier and Pawtucket, Rhode Island, native Byron R. Johnson were laid to rest on Wednesday, more than a century after his death. The burial marked one of the final Civil War soldier interments in the United States, offering a unique opportunity to honor the historic moment. “It’s special to begin with -- to have someone who served in this war and his cremains coming back. It’s very unique,” Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said. -- Article

Descendants of 2 Ohio soldiers who took part in daring Andrews Raid make emotional visit to where they were hanged as spies. The men finally received the Medal of Honor this year, and families also saw their new headstones

The new headstones for Perry Shadrach and George Wilson in Chattanooga (Picket photos)

I am just back from Chattanooga, Tenn., where I covered Sunday afternoon's unveiling of new Medal of Honor headstones for two participants in the Union’s Andrews Raid during the Civil War.

The story of the Great Locomotive Chase and the bravery of its volunteers has to be one of the most memorable and moving I have reported on in the Picket’s 15 years.

The sabotage mission along the Western & Atlantic Railroad from Atlanta to Chattanooga in 1862 was a tactical failure, but was a boost to the war-weary North and brought the first Medal of Honors.

Descendants of raiders, supporters and loved ones at Tunnel Hill in Georgia (Picket photo)

Eight raiders were hanged in Atlanta as spies after the Great Locomotive Chase, among them Pvt. George D. Wilson and Pvt. Perry Shadrach, who were finally awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously this past summer.

Descendants from all over, mostly Ohio, traveled to the South to take a bus tour Saturday along the Georgia route of the locomotive chase involving the locomotives General and the Texas.

They visited the Coolidge Medal of Honor National Heritage Center on Sunday, where they saw the new Wilson medal and one for fellow raider Jacob Parrott, before traveling to Chattanooga National Cemetery for a moving ceremony at the gravesites. (At left, Retired Army Gen. Burwell B. Bell III with photos of Shadrach and Wilson)

I was with descendants over the weekend and posted about 40 (whew) updates on Facebook

I feel so lucky to have been there and be entrusted with these stories – not only the sacrifice of these men, but the long effort by their families and supporters to see that Shadrach and Wilson receive the nation’s top military medal for incredible valor. There were a lot of twists and turns as they tried to right a wrong (or oversight).

I hope to write a longer post but ,for now, please see all the updates on the Picket’s Facebook page. These vignettes gave me insight into the families behind these American heroes.

Thanks so much for your interest!