Re: CSS Georgia topic.....

[Bob Wright]

Of particular interest also was the finding and raising the USS Cairo, a yankee gunboat sunk during the Civil War in the Yazoo River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. I was making trips from Memphis to Vicksburg in my work at a plant there and followed closely the raising and restoring of that boat.

The Cairo was an ironclad gunboat, one of several, used on the river during the War. It was sunk by a "torpedo" which was in reality an underwater mine. It remained in the mud until around 1977 or so when it was discovered. It was restored and put on display in the Vicksburg Battlefeild. The boat is complete except for part of the bow blown away by the blast. Such things as a comb, a jar of salve, and leather shoes made for the left and right foot are displayed. The salve still bore the doctor's finger prints form its last use.

And the display allows visitors to walk through the boat. Of interest is the fact that the boat captain's head was exposed in a small coupola atop the hull. Many captains died as a result of sharpshooter's bullets. And most boats of this class were sunk during that War.

The Battlefield is worth a visit for anyone in that vicinity. In fact, the whole city is worth a visit.

Bob Wright

 

[stevemb]

Warfare has never been fun, but with each leap in technology, another step in uglyness was taken. It is kinda a shame that so many jumps in technology came about in our search to kill others faster, better. I've an affinity with weapons, but undersatnd there is a darkness there.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Bob,
You are 100% correct. I also highly recommend a trip to Vicksburg and the Battlefield. The ship restoration is outstanding.
Also a drive down the Natchez Trace to Natchez is great and a tour of Natchez is a must.
Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4TH of July for 81 years since that was the day they surrendered to the North.

"It was no accident that the Confederates surrendered on the Fourth of July," says Cotton. "General Pemberton said he could have lasted another week, but what was the point? Because they surrendered on Independence Day, it wasn't an unconditional surrender, as Grant had been used to getting. Pemberton was pretty demanding, and Grant was pretty generous, because he wanted the surrender to be on the Fourth. wanted to present that prize to President Lincoln on that day."

"No," says Mayor Joe Loviza, "there was nothing for the South to celebrate on that Fourth of July." So, in Vicksburg, they didn't. Not in 1863. Not for a long time.

In 1945, when the Allies had conquered Nazi Germany and were about to defeat Japan, Vicksburg, like the rest of the country, had an attack of patriotic fever. "They started celebrating again," Cotton says. "But they didn't call it the Fourth of July or Independence Day. They called it the Carnival of the Confederacy. They had parades and floats and all that, and they had a pretty girl to represent each Southern state."

 

[Bob Wright]

While I was in Vicksburg, a man commented to me that folks in Vicksburg still held enough resentment to folks from Natchez that they still refused to speak to them. Their bone of contention was that while Vicksburg endured the long seige and was heavily damaged, Natchez surrendered readily to preserve its beautiful homes.

East of Vicksburg there are hills of clay where residents made their homes in caves carved out of the clay. I have heard old folks, even in West Tennessee, say they would have starved were it not for poke salat, which the yankees thought was a weed and failed to destroy.

Bob Wright

 

[markallen]

Vicksburg is definitely a go to.
But just south of Vicksburg is a small State run battlefield.
Grand Gulf was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. I believe it fell about a month after Vicksburg.
It is small but very unique. It is a hidden gem, and we'll worth going there.
I have been to every major, and a lot of smaller battlefields from Port Hudson in Luisianna to Gettysburg,
Shilo, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Chanclorsville, Yellow Tavern, Malvern Hill, Manassas, Petersburg, Chattanooga, Stones River, Chicamauga, Brices Crossroads, Vicksburg, and more, not including the many forts.
Grand Gulf is one of my favorites.
Fort Darling/ Dreweys Bluff outside of Richmond is another small but we'll worth the visit. It is one of the best examples of a couple of siege guns being able to control everything afloat on the James River.
For the zig-zag interlocking trench works best examples for me is Cold Harbor outside of Richmond. Va.

 

[Hipshot]

While I was in Vicksburg, a man commented to me that folks in Vicksburg still held enough resentment to folks from Natchez that they still refused to speak to them. Their bone of contention was that while Vicksburg endured the long seige and was heavily damaged, Natchez surrendered readily to preserve its beautiful homes.

East of Vicksburg there are hills of clay where residents made their homes in caves carved out of the clay. I have heard old folks, even in West Tennessee, say they would have starved were it not for poke salat, which the yankees thought was a weed and failed to destroy.

Bob Wright

Bob,

I always enjoy your stories, anecdotes and input and note your mention of poke salat. I wonder how many here know what it is and am amazed at the number of people who have never heard of it. Poke Salat Annie?

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Well I never had any Poke Salat, grew up in the North. But I have eaten a lot of Dandelion Greens.
My Grandmother and I would gather them from yards when I was 5-7. She would fix them as often as possible since they were free and we were poor.

From the Internet,

I'm including a recipe for Poke Salat (Salad), a springtime dish served in the Ozarks. My parents knew just where the plants grew on the farm and would gather up a "mess" to have with fried fish. There are warnings to take into account if you are going to cook the greens fresh. Consumed raw, poke salad will make you sick as a dog. The stuff that makes you sick is concentrated in the root, stems, and the veins of larger leaves. Mom would only pick the small leaves from a plant no more than knee high. So how does it taste? Some people compare it to asparagus. It's more like spinach I think, but it's a "acquired taste"

Traditional Southern Recipe
· Begin with a “mess” of poke salad: enough leaves to fill a plastic grocery bag.
· Wash and rinse the leaves.
· Add to cook pot and bring to boil. As soon as it’s boiling, drain and refill with water. Do this two more times.
· After boiling and draining three times, squeeze out the excess water.
· Add bacon grease to a skillet on medium heat. Saute in pan just to heat through.
· Salt to taste.
· Optional: cook with a half cup of chopped onions and bacon or country ham.