 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Confederate Naval Museum
Columbus' Confederate Naval Museum, the only one of its type in the
country, was officially opened in 1962 and remains one of most important
tourist attractions in the metropolitan
area. Named the James W. Woodruff, Jr., Confederate Naval Museum, because
of Woodruff's extraordinary interest in and financial support of the
effort to establish such a museum in Columbus, the Naval Museum features
the "remains" of two Confederate vessels: the gunboat "Chattahoochee" and
the ironclad ram called the "Jackson" (or the "Muscogee".)
Both boats were sunk during the raid on Columbus by Union forces in the
spring of 1865, and both remained submerged in the Chattahoochee River
until they were brought ashore in the early 1960s.
These vessels are two of only a few Civil War ships that are preserved and on display in the country. The "Chattahoochee" was a 130-foot-long steampowered gunboat that was built in 1861-1862 in Early County, Georgia, some 100 miles south of Columbus on the Chattahoochee River. The boat was intentionally sunk about ten miles south of Columbus at the end of the Civil War, in order to prevent the boat's capture by Union forces.
The "Jackson" was begun at Columbus' Confederate Navy Yard in the last months of 1862 and launched on December 22, 1864. Nearly 225 feet long, the boat was armed with six large rifles and coated by four inches of iron plate, behind which was wood almost two feet thick. The "Jackson" was captured by Union forces when the city was attacked in April of 1865. The day after its capture, the "Jackson" was set afire and alloed to drift some thirty miles down the river.
In addition to the gunboats on display, the museum also features exhibits containing ship models, weapons, relics, and uniforms, as well as other materials related to Confederate Naval history in general.
National Civil War Naval
Museum at Port Columbus
1002 Victory Drive
Columbus, Georgia 31901
Hours of Operation
Open Everyday
9 AM EST to 5 PM EST
Closed Christmas
706-327-9798
Home Site Map Link to us Contact us
Site owned and operated by CSA Media Copyright 2006-2007