An interesting tid - of over looked Missouri History I think.
Samuel Clemmons - Mark Twain was a Missouri boy I think.
He went West and managed to avoid the Civil war I think.
In about 1856 he decided to become a Steam Boat Pilot.
He was trapped in Cincinnati and got the job as a cub on a small steam boat named Xxxx Brown.
He came down Ohio & Mississippi from Cincinnati to New Orleans.

Some years later the Xxxx Brown (Mark Twain had nothing to do with this.) became involved in transporting supplies on The Big Black River for the Confederate Army. It became trapped in the Big Black River at the site of Big Black River Bridge.
It was used as a bridge by the Confederate Army.
After the disaster, the Confederate Army burned and destroyed it.
When the Big Black River gets very low, about every 15 or 20 years, the Relic Hunters still have a feild day.

Sam P