Anchor and Chain

Anchor and Chain (HMOXO)

Location: Arlington, KY 42021 Hickman County
Buy Kentucky State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 45.984', W 89° 6.682'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 488 views
Inscription
"The rebels have a chain across the river about one mile above Columbus. It is sustained by flats, at intervals, chain passing through steeples placed about the water's edge, the chain passing under the boats."
- Report from Union spy to General Ulysses S. Grant
January 1862

Confederate General Leonidas Polk stretched this mile-long chain across the Mississippi River from Fort DeRussy, on the Iron Banks Bluff north of Columbus, to a capstan on the Belmont, Missouri shore. Polk hoped that any Union ships coming down the river would be stopped by the chain long enough for cannon fire to sink them. Most of the chain was removed after the Union occupation of Columbus in March 1862. The effort obviously failed.

In December 1925 a landslide at the edge of the bluff exposed a section of the chain. Each link weighs 20 pounds 5 ounces. Digging at the end of the chain revealed an anchor measuring 15 feet 9 1/2 inches long, with flukes 9 feet from tip to tip. The anchor had been buried 11 feet deep with the flukes in a vertical position and fixed in place with 12-foot oak logs. It is estimated to weigh anywhere from 2 to 6 tons.
Details
HM NumberHMOXO
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 20th, 2014 at 12:03am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 311553 N 4071037
Decimal Degrees36.76640000, -89.11136667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 45.984', W 89° 6.682'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 45' 59.04" N, 89° 6' 40.92" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)270
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 180 Roggers St, Arlington KY 42021, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?