The C.S.S. Jackson in the Chattahoochee River

This rare photograph in the collection of the Naval Historical Center shows the ironclad C.S.S. Jackson shortly after she was launched at Columbus, Georgia. One of the most powerful warships ever designed by the Confederate Navy, the Jackson was the planned flagship of a significant flotilla of vessels assembled late in the war for a planned effort to break the blockade of Apalachicola bay.

The Jackson was just days away from completion when a Union army commanded by General James H. Wilson attacked and captured Columbus in April of 1865. The ironclad was captured by the Union soldiers, who were astounded by its advanced design and weaponry. They destroyed it before leaving Columbus.

The ship vaguely visible behind the Jackson in this photograph may be the C.S.S. Chattahoochee, a second warship constructed on the Chattahoochee River during the war. A third vessel, the C.S.S. Viper, was also operational at war's end. The Viper was a torpedo boat designed for use in ramming torpedos into the sides of Union ships.

The Confederates hoped to steam the three warships down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers to attack the Union warships blockading the port of Apalachicola. Had they been completed in time, there is little doubt that the Jackson, Chattahoochee and Viper could have easily overpowered the poorly maintained Union ships off Apalachicola.

The wrecks of both the Jackson and Chattahoochee can be seen today at the Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. The Viper was captured intact by the Federals, but was lost during a storm as she was being towed from Apalachicola to Key West after the war.