"Red Rover, Red Rover"

"Red Rover, Red Rover" (HM140K)

Location: Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Cape Girardeau County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 18.35', W 89° 31.041'

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Did you know?

"Red Rover" was the first hospital ship of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship that women served on and the apparent namesake of the popular children's game. It was also build and launched in Cape Girardeau in 1859.

"Red Rover" was a steamer brought by the Confederate Navy a the beginning of the Civil War and used as a transport. At the Battle of Island #10 near New Madrid, MO, it was captured by Union forces in April 1862. The Union Navy outfitted it as a military Hospital ship, which had never been done before. The ship contained operating rooms, amputations rooms, medical supplies, wards and accommodations for the female nurses, some of whom were members of the Catholic order Sisters of the Holy Cross. African-American women served as paid aids.

One of the modifications allowed the new hospital ship to carry up to 300 tons of ice in its lowest hold: an important commodity for the sick and wounded soldiers. "Red Rover" made many trips up and down the Mississippi and other rivers, carrying soldiers to hospitals and treating lesser cases on board. Wherever "Red Rover" went, it was in great need, and the staff treated soldiers from both sides of the war.

After the war, a popular children's game known as Gates of the City was renamed Red Rover, perhaps because the vessel was called back and forth across the river so often or because it served both sides of the conflict.

Generations of children since have played the game that features the chant "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name here) right over!"

And it all began here in Cape Girardeau, MO

Details

HM Number	HM140K
Tags	US Civil War, Waterways and Vessels
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 8:47am PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	16S E 276897 N 4131771
Decimal Degrees	37.30583333, -89.51735000
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 37° 18.35', W 89° 31.041'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	37° 18' 21.00" N, 89° 31' 2.46" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	573
Closest Postal Address	At or near 1993 N Water St, Cape Girardeau MO 63701, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap