SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Savannah District, in partnership with Coastal Heritage Society, are pleased to announce 17 of the Revolutionary War-era cannon found in the Savannah River during the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project dredging operations in 2021-2022, will officially be on display at the Savannah History Museum July 2, 2026, at 4 p.m.
In total, the Corps of Engineers retrieved four partial and 17 complete cannon and various other artifacts, such as bar shots and pieces of anchors and bells. While still unconfirmed, researchers believe the items originated from the HMS Savannah or HMS Venus, which the British scuttled in the Savannah River, by Old Fort Jackson, to block the French from entering the city in 1779.
Collectively, the Corps of Engineers, Coastal Heritage Society, the Commonwealth Heritage Group and Texas A&M, collaborated to make this return and public display possible.
Seventeen of the cannon and some small artifacts were shipped to the Texas A&M Conservation Research Laboratory Feb. 2, 2023. Since that time, the conservation team diligently worked to restore the artifacts to a like-new condition, preparing them for long-term curation and public display at the Savannah History Museum.
During the time-intensive conservation process, the Texas A&M team discovered 14 of the 17 cannon were still loaded, some with multiple cannonballs, essentially preserving a snapshot of history as it existed more than 200 years ago.
While the cannon were in Texas, the Coastal Heritage Society team has diligently worked to make a home for the cannon and artifacts. In short, they have engineered customized display racks and reorganized the museum in a way that helps tell the history of Savannah and its role in the American Revolution. The exhibit is called “Loyalists and Liberty: Savannah in the American Revolution,” and it opens just in time to commemorate the United States of America’s 250th anniversary.
Learn more about the discovery and conservation of the cannon: https://www.youtube.com/SavannahCorps ; https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USACOE-SD ; https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannahcorps/albums/