US Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus Georgia

**papermodelfan** · #1 06-07-2009, 11:39 AM

Yesterday, while driving to southern Alabama on a quest for daylilies with my wife, we detoured through Columbus, GA, a town I had never visited before. Imagine my surprise, driving down the street to pass by a full scale 1:1 wooden replica of the USS Water Witch - a steamer from the Civil War, right beside the road. This is a major effort of a new museum in Columbus, the National Civil War Naval Museum, on the site of a Confederate River navy base on the Chattahoochee river. The museum was closed, and I did not see what was inside, but according to their website, they have retrieved parts of a river gunboat, the CSS Chattahoochee, and an ironclad ram, the CSS Jackson, and are working on other replicas. Someone has a sense of dramatic fun too - behind the museum were trailerable 1:10 scale powered replicas of the Monitor and the Merrimac, that might take 2-3 man crews to operate. For anyone interested in Civil War Ships, and enroute to the Gulf of Mexico, this might be a diverting stop. Read more and see the pictures, as well as the drafting lines of the Water Witch here: Welcome Aboard! Port Columbus. Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. Civil War History.

Rob Tauxe

**Don Boose** · #2 06-07-2009, 01:52 PM

Thanks for this info, Rob. It's the first time I ever heard of this very interesting museum. In addition to attending the Infantry Officers' Basic Course and Airborne school in the summer of 1962, I spent a year in Columbus in 1969, attending the Infantry Officers' Advanced Course. I am quite certain that this museum did not exist then (or, if it did, it was small and unobtrusive), otherwise, I would have been a frequent visitor. Since I did a lot of fishing in those days, chugging along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, I think I would have noticed a line up of Civil War iron clads.

In any event, this definitely looks lke a place worth visiting, especially for all the member of the Forum who research, design, build, and think about Civil War iron clads and other watercraft.

Don

**THE DC** · #3 06-08-2009, 10:14 AM

I was lucky some years back. I got paid to do a promotion for a Star Trek product and was sent to Mud Island, Memphis TN. They were building a civil war naval exhibit and the curators let us run a live action on the decks of a monitor replica they were completing. They even fired up the sound & lighting FX.

Wasn't actually being in a time machine, but close.

Years later I was hired to photo-journalize some Civil War re-enactors during a few Tactical drills. Now that was something. They were practicing without any public or spectators. Not only were the photos awesome, but it was something, watching the strategy they played out in period garb and not being concerned about spectator effects. Like being a fly on the wall during a small skirmish!

I just got a call from a group wanting me to do the same in an Indiana re-enactment. They want me to also set up a demo on civil war photographic processes. I haven’t done this in a while, but I’m tempted to go this year. It was always both fun and intellectually stimulating.

The DC

**Bill Poe** · #4 06-08-2009, 12:21 PM

I went through the museum last year and it is very interesting The CSS Jackson was actually burned by Union forces while anchored in the river. I believe that records show that it burned for several days. Years later the remains, mostly from below the waterline were recovered and are in the museum. It is amazing to see . Bill

**rickstef** · #5 06-08-2009, 12:56 PM

Oh how stories can dovetail

Archeologists find sunken Confederate gunship - Science Fair - USATODAY.com

**Kugelfang** · #6 06-10-2009, 05:15 AM

I've not made the pilgrimage to Columbus, GA, but have always wanted to. I think the museum has been around for at least 10 years. I did have the good fortune to go through the Mud Island museum 15 years ago while on my honeymoon. They had an exhibit where you walked through a mock up of an Eads Ironclad in position to shell some shore fortifications. Later as you wound your way through the exhibit you found yourself in the fortifications looking down on the ironclad. Cool stuff!

--jeff

**cdavenport** · #7 06-10-2009, 10:12 PM

The museum is indeed fabulous. The reconstructed gunboats are huge! One has a steel outline to show how the boat would have looked in her heyday.

The museum has other fine displays, too. Well worth the visit.

And, if you are in the area, Columbus is not all that far from Charleston where the Hunley resides. I have visited the Hunley twice and to say the tour is impressive is a massive understatement!