U.S.S. CAIRO CANNON GRAPESHOT

U.S.S. CAIRO CANNON GRAPESHOT
Relic from the Union ironclad warship USS CAIRO, a 2 in. wide iron piece of grapeshot mounted atop an aluminum base. The base in engraved: '1862 USS CAIRO 1964'. This relic was recovered in the initial attempt to salvage the vessel in October, 1964, when hopes of lifting the ironclad and her cargo of artifacts intact were crushed as the 3-inch cables being used to lift the ship cut deeply into its wooden hull. She was later successfully salvaged and is now on display. The USS CAIRO was one of the first American ironclad warships built during the Civil War. In June 1862, she led the capture of the Confederate garrison of Fort Pillow, enabling Union forces to occupy Memphis. As part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff. She was the first ship ever to be sunk by a a remotely detonated mine.