Revolutionary War cannons found at bottom of Savannah River after 240 years
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SAVANNAH, GA. – A piece of Revolutionary War history that remained hidden underwater for more than two centuries is now on display in Georgia’s oldest city, just in time for America’s 250th anniversary.
19 cannons discovered at the bottom of the Savannah River were unveiled Thursday as part of a new exhibit at the Savannah Museum of History. The cannons remained under water for approximately 240 years.
“This is the largest discovery of 18th-century artillery in a single naval event in the Revolutionary War,” said Nora Fleming Lee, CEO of the Coastal Heritage Society. “So the discovery is really important, not just for Savannah, but across the country.”
A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers came across the cannons while dredging the river to accommodate larger cargo ships in 2021.
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Seventeen Revolutionary War cannons were restored and displayed at the Savannah History Museum. (Amy Gallo)
“They brought back 19 balls in total and about a dozen small artifacts. There was quite a bit of concrete on them, oyster shells and all kinds of marine life that attached itself to the ball,” Fleming Lee said. explained Fleming Lee.
Some of the cannons were found still loaded with cannonballs and gunpowder charges, among other smaller artifacts.
The balls were found covered in marine life and concrete. (Amy Gallo)
After being pulled from the river, most of the cannons left Georgia for several years for cleanup and preservation work at the Texas A&M University laboratory.
“Running the electric current through essentially the water bath they’re in desalinates the ironworks, thus stabilizing the iron being on land,” Fleming Lee said. “And in the final treatments they are acid dyed, spa treated and polished and can have a very long life here on land.”
Seventeen guns were restored. The other two were left unstored to allow visitors to make side-by-side comparisons.
All 19 works are on permanent display as part of the new exhibit “Loyalists and Liberty: Savannah in the American Revolution.”
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Historians believe the cannons sank shortly before the siege of Savannah in 1779. At that time, Savannah was under British occupation.
A boat goes down the Savannah River in Savannah, Georgia. (Amy Gallo)
“We believe that these guns were the last of several ships sunk in the narrowest part of the Savannah River to act as a blockade to prevent the French fleet from advancing up the river and retaking Savannah to the American side,” Fleming Lee said.
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The cannons would be sunk just weeks before the Battle of Savannah, known as one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War, killing more than 800 people in less than an hour. It was fought on the site where the Savannah History Museum now stands.
There is a monument to the Battle of Savannah next to the Savannah History Museum. (Amy Gallo)
“The cannons are truly tangible artifacts that tell the story of the revolution,” Fleming Lee said. “And from that perspective, we expand Georgia’s revolutionary story. We provide more insight into maritime events, but more importantly, we tell the story from the perspective of those who are often overlooked.”
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The new exhibit tells the story of Savannah’s role in the birth of America through the eyes of five unique historical figures, including native, free and enslaved people, women and children.
