Cairo Museum Exhibits: Personal Effects

 

"we fired one Gun at the Fort just as she was sinking I saved 2 Revolvers and most of us saved something-some of us saved our bags some hammocks some all and several saved nothing except theirselves" 
         George Roberts Yost  15 year old Crewman

As there was very little time for saving personal belongings, the crew had to abandon things such as these U.S. brass belt buckles and this silk "Cairo" hat band.
Close-up of soap dishes (upper center) and different glass ink wells used by the sailors.
Thousands of personal items were abandoned to the river as the gunboat went swiftly to the bottom of the muddy Yazoo.
Most government-issue shoes of the Civil War period had a common last, but Cairo's leather shoes were lefts and rights.  One of the boat's officers had bunions, as was evidenced by the heavy work boots which had been cut and patched (far left).
The men's shaving gear included razors, shaving cups and brush.  Other personal accessories found included toothbrush handles, mirrors and hard rubber combs.  All but two of the combs were found in the Quarter Master's storeroom and were evidently not issued.  The combs are stamped U.S. Navy on one side and I.R. COMB CO. GOODYEAR'S PATENT MAY 6, 1851.
The personal items recovered reflect the diverse training and backgrounds of the sailors.  A U.S. Marine Corps hat insignia (upper left) was found on the gunboat along with a tin canteen, wooden carvings known as scrimshaw (lower right) and several ambrotypes (early type of photograph).  One of the ambrotypes is of a woman and young girl, perhaps the wife and daughter of one of Cairo's crew. 
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Last update: Friday, November 05, 1999
http://www.nps.gov/vick/cairo/personal.htm
Editor: G. Zeman