National Civil War Naval Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Port Columbus
National Civil War Naval Museum

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Established	1962
Location	1002 Victory Drive Columbus, Georgia United States
Type	American Civil War Naval

The National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia, United States, is a huge museum. It's about 40,000 square feet! This museum shows parts of two old ships from the Confederate States Navy (the Southern side) during the American Civil War. You can also see uniforms, gear, and weapons used by both the Union Navy (from the North) and the Confederate Navy. Many people say it's the only museum in the country that tells the story of both navies during this important war.

How the Museum Started
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
- Flags of Triumph and Despair
- Powerful Cannons
The U.S.S./C.S.S. Water Witch Project
Other Fun Activities at Port Columbus
Images for kids
See Also

How the Museum Started

The museum first opened its doors in 1962. It was located on 4th Street in Columbus. Back then, it was called the "James W. Woodruff, Jr., Confederate Naval Museum." It was named after James W. Woodruff, Jr., who gave money to make the museum possible.

In 1970, the museum was known as the Confederate Naval Museum. At that time, two important ships, the C.S.S. Muscogee and C.S.S. Chattahoochee, were added to a special list called the National Register of Historic Places. The architects who designed the museum created a cool, modern building to protect these old ships.

In March 2001, the museum moved to its current, much larger building. This new facility cost eight million dollars! With the move, it also got a new name. The new name shows that the museum now features exhibits about both the Union and Confederate navies.

Amazing Exhibits to Explore

The most exciting part of the museum is the huge hull of the C.S.S. Jackson. This ship was also known as C.S.S. Muscogee. It was a new type of armored warship called an ironclad warship. Union Army troops burned it in the Chattahoochee River. In the 1960s, it was pulled from the river's muddy bottom. The hull is about 180 feet long!

You can also see parts of the C.S.S. Chattahoochee. Another cool item is a complete rowboat from the U.S.S. Hartford. This was the famous main ship of Federal Admiral David Farragut. He used it during the naval Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864.

The museum has many other Civil War items. There are models of the warships U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia. These models were used in a 1991 TV movie called Ironclads. You can also see full-size sections of other Civil War warships. These include parts of Admiral David Farragut's U.S.S. Hartford, like the sleeping area and the captain's room.

There's a special battle experience theater. It makes you feel like you're right in the middle of a Civil War battle! You can also try an interactive simulator. This lets you experience what 19th-century naval combat was like.

Flags of Triumph and Despair

A large exhibit of Civil War naval flags is one of the museum's newest additions. The museum's director, Bruce Smith, says it's the biggest display of navy flags from the Civil War era in the entire country. This exhibit is called "Ramparts to Topmast: Flags of Triumph and Despair." It shows fourteen flags that represent ships and forts from all parts of the Civil War.

One special flag was hidden for 137 years! A family from Ohio helped bring it to the museum. On July 22, 1862, the captain of the ironclad warship C.S.S. Arkansas thought his ship was safe. It was in the harbor on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi. But in the dark, two Union Navy ships attacked it. The U.S.S. Queen of the West tried to crash into Arkansas.

As the two ships were side-by-side, an engineer named John P. Skelton jumped from the Union ship onto Arkansas. He quickly tore down its flag. Then he jumped back to his own ship and hid the flag in a barrel of beans! After the war, Skelton took the flag home to Ohio. It stayed there until 1999, when his family sent it back. Now, this historic flag has a place of honor on the museum wall.

Powerful Cannons

The museum also has the largest collection of Brooke rifled naval cannons that still exist. These cannons were made in Confederate factories in Selma, Alabama. There are four of these cannons: two 7-inch rifles, one 10-inch smoothbore, and one 11-inch smoothbore. The 11-inch smoothbore is the biggest Brooke cannon still around today.

The U.S.S./C.S.S. Water Witch Project

In 2009, the museum built a full-size copy of the U.S.S./C.S.S. Water Witch. They used the ship's original drawings to build it. This replica was over 160 feet long and had masts nearly 90 feet tall! It was a very noticeable landmark in the Columbus area. However, it was built with untreated wood and slowly fell apart over the years. By October 2019, it was too damaged to save and had to be taken down.

The real Water Witch was a Union Navy ship. It was blocking the port outside Savannah, Georgia during the war. In 1864, Confederate commandos captured it. An African-American Confederate pilot named Moses Dallas helped lead this raid. After being captured, the Water Witch then served the Confederacy. So, this ship was unique because it served both sides during the war!

Other Fun Activities at Port Columbus

The museum hosts many special events throughout the year. These include an annual meeting for experts, summer camps for kids, and living history programs. You can also rent out the museum's galleries for different events. People use them for weddings, business meetings, and more!

Images for kids

River Campaign Fleets mural
Green Water Fleets Mural
Deep Water Fleets mural

National Civil War Naval Museum facts for kids

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