One of seven shallow-draft City Class river ironclads, The U.S.S. Cairo was commissioned in January of 1862. Over the years the gunboat was forgotten and her resting place was slowly covered by a shroud of silt and mud. As the Centennial of the Civil War approached, Edwin C. Bearss, Historian at Vicksburg National Military Park, was able to plot the approximate site of the wreck. In 1972, the United States Congress enacted legislation authorizing the National Park Service to accept title to the Cairo and reassemble the remnants for display and preservation in Vicksburg National Military Park. The recovery of artifacts from the Cairo revealed a treasure trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores, and personal property that help tell the story of the sailors that once called the ship home. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at the USS. Cairo Museum.