Missouri, New Madrid County, New Madrid
![]()
More than one hundred and fifty years ago, Brigadier General John Pope faced a tactical dilemma on the Mississippi River. Confederate batteries at Island No. 10 blocked passage through a complex series of river bends. Although Pope held New Madrid, downstream from the Confederates, his troops were on the wrong side of the river. With transports and gunboats, Pope could cross the river into Tennessee and turn the Confederates out of their fortifications. However, Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote, commander of the Mississippi River Squadron above Island No. 10, declined to risk running the Confederate position as he was still felt the sting of repulse from the February Fort Donelson expedition. Foote preferred a standoff bombardment while waiting for an opening to exploit, but Pope was a man in a hurry and could not wait for developments.
In mid-March 1862, Colonel Josiah Bissell, commanding the "Engineer Regiment of the West," surveyed the land north and east of New Madrid. Reporting to Pope, Bissell found swamps and bottomland inundated with the early spring floodwaters. Bissell suggested a canal to provide passage for steamboats. Bissell's plan called for a path through some 12 miles of swamp, using some of the natural bayous and sloughs, cut 50 feet wide and 4½ feet deep. The chosen course followed Wilson's Bayou into the swamps, and then cut across to join St. John's Bayou—north of New Madrid. The mouth of St. John's Bayou provided a save (sic) cove to hide the transports from Confederate observers. Instead of facing an enemy force, Bissell's engineers would fight the barriers set in place by the Mississippi River.
For nineteen days Bissell's men worked to clear the passage. Where open bayou allowed, the engineers used a submerged saw to clear the trees. In other cases, the only practical method to clear the way was by hand. When completed on April 4th, the canal, or more accurately a channel, allowed passage of four steamboats and several barges—but no gunboats. The gunboats ran on Island No. 10 and were able to success with help from the forces that came around through the channel and up behind the Confederates leading to a Union victory on April 9, 1862.
A great deal of imagination is required to visualize steamboats working through what was once a swamp. A visitor to the battlefield of Island No. 10 today will see a landscape vastly different than that of 1862. The site of the canal is not easy to find. In the decades after the Civil War, flood control measures and bottom land reclamation projects turned swamps into farmlands. As a result, the swamps around Wilson's Bayou became little more than a strip of trees.
(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 9 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
More than one hundred and fifty years ago, Brigadier General John Pope faced a tactical dilemma on the Mississippi River. Confederate batteries at Island No. 10 blocked passage through a complex series of river bends. Although Pope held New Madrid, downstream from the Confederates, his troops were on the wrong side of the river. With transports and gunboats, Pope could cross the river into Tennessee and turn the Confederates out of their fortifications. However, Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote, commander of the Mississippi River Squadron above Island No. 10, declined to risk running the Confederate position as he was still felt the sting of repulse from the February Fort Donelson expedition. Foote preferred a standoff bombardment while waiting for an opening to exploit, but Pope was a man in a hurry and could not wait for developments.In mid-March 1862, Colonel Josiah Bissell, commanding the "Engineer Regiment of the West," surveyed the land north and east of New Madrid. Reporting to Pope, Bissell found swamps and bottomland inundated with the early spring floodwaters. Bissell suggested a canal to provide passage for steamboats. Bissell's plan called for a path through some 12 miles of swamp, using some of the natural bayous and sloughs, cut 50 feet wide and 4½ feet deep. The chosen course followed Wilson's Bayou into the swamps, and then cut across to join St. John's Bayou—north of New Madrid. The mouth of St. John's Bayou provided a save (sic) cove to hide the transports from Confederate observers. Instead of facing an enemy force, Bissell's engineers would fight the barriers set in place by the Mississippi River.
For nineteen days Bissell's men worked to clear the passage. Where open bayou allowed, the engineers used a submerged saw to clear the trees. In other cases, the only practical method to clear the way was by hand. When completed on April 4th, the canal, or more accurately a channel, allowed passage of four steamboats and several barges—but no gunboats. The gunboats ran on Island No. 10 and were able to success with help from the forces that came around through the channel and up behind the Confederates leading to a Union victory on April 9, 1862.
A great deal of imagination is required to visualize steamboats working through what was once a swamp. A visitor to the battlefield of Island No. 10 today will see a landscape vastly different than that of 1862. The site of the canal is not easy to find. In the decades after the Civil War, flood control measures and bottom land reclamation projects turned swamps into farmlands. As a result, the swamps around Wilson's Bayou became little more than a strip of trees.
(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 9 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
To further protect New Madrid from Union attack, a smaller fort was built on the east side of town at the mouth of St. John's Bayou. This upper fort, named Fort Bankhead (the original location was washed away by the ever-changing Mississippi River) after its artillery Captain Smith P. Bankhead, was a strong parapet behind an abates of brush and felled trees. Dirt and bags of shelled corn made a parapet ten feet thick. Known also as Fort New Madrid, it contained seven cannon mounted on wooden supports.
Contribution by citizens financed the lot purchase and building construction for the Davis Library, which served Davis at this location from 1911 to until 1988. The building was moved to Central Park.
Dedicated August 10, 1986 in honor of 
Dedicated to the pioneers who blazed the
The Santa Ana River once made an estuary along Mariner's Mile. The 1916 flood prompted efforts since to confine the river to its concrete bed on the border with Huntington Beach. A 1920 county bond issue enhanced the dredging of the bay to establish the present bulkhead line.
When completed in 1908, it was significant for its early use of concrete in bridge construction and as the world’s largest concrete arch bridge. Reformers of the era praised its utility and design. Connecting Germantown and Roxborough, it reduced the travel time between the two neighborhoods from a half-day to minutes, and promoted business and social interaction. This engineering marvel remains a vital transportation artery for Philadelphia.
When completed in 1908, it was significant for its early use of concrete in bridge construction and as the world’s largest concrete arch bridge. Reformers of the era praised its utility and design. Connecting Germantown and Roxborough, it reduced the travel time between the two neighborhoods from a half-day to minutes, and promoted business and social interaction. This engineering marvel remains a vital transportation artery for Philadelphia.
This famous family lived in the home built here by John B. Kelly. A successful businessman active in city politics. Jack was a 3-time Olympic gold medal winner in the 1920s for rowing. Son John Jr. ("Kell") won the Diamond Scull at the 1947 British Henley Regatta and a bronze medal at the 1956 Olympics. Both father and son were named to the US Rowing and Olympic Halls of Fame. Daughter Grace was an Academy Award winning actress and Princess of Monaco.
Dedicated to the Memory of the Soldiers and Sailors of Ward 2 Who Served in The World War 1917-1918
Dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives in the service of our nation during the Vietnam War.
Dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives in the service of our nation during the Korean War
In Honor of the Men of Chelsea Who Served in the Spanish American War
Honoring those who served
English:
