A Crew of Immigrants

During the Civil War, nearly half of the USS Cairo's sailors were immigrants, and the ship's decks echoed with French, Danish, Russian, German, and accents from Ireland, England, and the Caribbean. The crew came from many walks of life, including black and white men who had worked as farmers, teachers, and butchers, and most had no sailing experience but learned their duties on the job. Whether U.S.-born or not, these Union sailors fought for the survival of the country they called home. When Cairo sank, her crew of 158 sailors and 17 officers had no time to save their personal possessions, and thousands of items went down with the boat before being recovered during salvage operations.

Vicksburg, Mississippi · United States