Port Columbus Civil War Naval Museum
Georgia > West Central Region > Muscogee County > Columbus
On display at Port Columbus is this 30-foot section of the CSS Chattahoochee, a Confederate gunboat designed to protect the Confederate manufacturing center of Columbus during the Civil War.
Traverse the majestic, gaping hull of the ironclad ram CSS Jackson, known as the “Muscogee.” Originally over four million pounds of heart pine and solid oak encased in iron, built for coastal defense, and revolutionary low-profile engineering, it was sunk by invading Union troops and remained submerged until its resurrection nearly 100 years later.
Experience the hulking mass of the CSS Chattahoochee, a rare surviving example of Confederate shipbuilding. This 30-foot section of the stern and steam engines of the famed Confederate gunboat, designed to protect the growing manufacturing center of Columbus, represents Confederate innovation and resourcefulness in developing its defensive fleet.
View the recreated turret of the USS Monitor as she sailed battle-worn from her infamous battle with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac).
Ramble through the Berth Deck, Ward Room and Captain’s Cabin of Admiral David Farragut’s recreated flagship, the USS Hartford. Then survive Admiral Farragut’s surprise Union attach in Mobile Bay in the battle theater aboard the ironclad CSS Albemarle, where it’s “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!’
Port Columbus boasts the largest Civil War Naval Flag exhibit in the country, including the officer-on-board flag of Admiral Franklin Buchanan - the Confederate Navy’s first admiral - and the flag of the CSS Tennessee, whose crew faced the entire Union fleet alone during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Also featured are the Confederacy’s 1st National Flag from the CSS Arkansas, which was hidden away and virtually unknown until its display at Port Columbus, and such beauties as the mammoth CSS Atlanta flag measuring sixteen by twenty-four feet!
Numerous displays of the poignant art and artifacts of the Civil War lead the way throughout the tour, from weapons to confiscated items of commerce. The capstones of which are some rare surviving examples of naval uniforms, a Ship’s Boy smock, and the pristine uniform coat of Commander Catesby R. Jones, who commanded the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) in one of the most famous naval battles in all history.
The sights, sounds and encounters that lie in store at the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus transport you to some of the most pivotal events in the American Civil War.
Links:
- Read more about Port Columbus Confederate Naval Museum.
- Find other Columbus, Georgia, travel and recreation resources.