If you ever wanted to build a Civil War gunboat, but were frustrated in gathering the necessary design information, here are some suggestions. The gunboat for which you can get the necessary information is the USS Cairo, which has been largely recovered and is on display in Vicksburg. Mississippi. Here are the references I have been able to gather.

.     USS Cairo Historic Structure Report - This document details the history , discovery, recovery and preservation of the Cairo. It includes 29 small size drawings of the Cairo including the framing design. It is available for $18.50 from: 

·    USS Cairo Drawing Set -These are the as- built drawings reproduced in small size in the Historic Structures Report. The 29 drawings are reproduced at 1 :48 scale on 24" x 36" sheets. The cost is $43.40. They can be ordered from the address given above. This is quite a bargain-

·     There is a report on the USS Cairo's engine prepared in 1990 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

·     A detail history of the USS Cairo is found in Edwin C. Bears' book Hardluck Ironclad published by LSU Press in 1980.