U.S.S. Cairo: The Story of a Civil War Gunboat / Comprising a Narrative of Her Wartime Adventures by Virgil Carrington Jones, and an Account of Her Raising in 1964 by Harold L. Peterson

The work recounts the conception, design, and construction of a Union ironclad built for river warfare and the strategic thinking that prompted an inland navy. It traces the vessel’s brief wartime career, the misfortunes of a commanding officer, and her sinking by a Confederate torpedo in the Yazoo River. The narrative then shifts to mid-20th-century efforts to locate, raise, and salvage the hull and thousands of artifacts. A specialist’s account catalogs and evaluates recovered weapons and equipment, and the publication explains preservation decisions and interprets the boat and objects for museum display.