Artifacts in the round: Archaeologists provide fascinating conservation update on shattered wagon wheel, Confederate munitions found in S.C. river cleanup

Wheel before treatment began and in shower stall more recently for cleaning, 6-pounder and 12-pounder shells (SCIAA); George Barnard photo of damage in Columbia after the Civil War (Library of Congress)

Maybe it’s just me (it probably is), but an unusual Civil War artifact undergoing conservation in Columbia, S.C., looks like a king crab or spider with a few of its legs missing.

There, I said it.

I have been fascinated by the remnants of a wagon wheel believed destroyed on Feb. 19, 1865, when Federal forces sacked the South Carolina capital and dumped captured Confederate ammunition and materiel into the Congaree River.

A metal detector first noticed the round object buried in the bed of the Congaree. Archaeologists surmised it was a just another rubber tire -- one of many found during an extensive river cleanup a few years back. More than 500 Civil War-related artifacts were recovered during the project, and this is among the most unexpected.

Jim Legg, public archaeologist for the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), this month provided an update to the Picket on the conservation of the artifact and other pieces, none of which were believed to be fired. (At right, a sample of grapeshot and canister, SCIAA photo)

Hundreds of items emerged in 2022 and 2023 as crews removed century-old coal tar along the Congaree shoreline. Since then, Legg’s office and TRC Companies, a subcontractor for Dominion Energy, have been working to conserve items with a wide range of dates.

The completed military part of the collection will go to South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia for eventual exhibit.

The wheel hub, which has evidence of charring, will take at least another year to preserve. Archaeologists did not find any other wheels, metal hubs or large pieces of wood near the artifact.

“I have always thought the wheel was from (an) explosion. One thing that threw it off was that black rubber disk in the middle of the hub (left, TRC companies photo),” Legg wrote in an email.

"I finally just took it out to see what it was, and found that it was the rubber wheel from a 20th century kid's wagon. Either it floated into that location, or maybe one of the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) guys picked it out of the junk pile and dropped it in there. It was a perfect fit.”

Even with that oddity, Legg is comfortable calling the fragment a casualty of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops.

The features are consistent with a 1860s wagon wheel and it was found where at least one heavy wagon was blown to pieces.

“There is no record of any guns or gun carriages being destroyed/dumped in the river,” he added.

Something blowed up real good at river

Federal troops threw Confederate war materiel into the river after they took what they wanted before marching to North Carolina. Much of the state capital went up in flames, from a variety of sources, after its surrender.

Sean Norris, program archaeologist for TRC Companies, previously said of the wheel:

William Waud depiction of the burning of Columbia in 1865 (Library of Congress)

“The official records mention the explosion and the destruction of a wagon and a team of mules in a couple correspondences. It seems possible that what was left of the wagon after it was destroyed was thrown in the river along with everything else that was being dumped. There would be no specific reason for the wagon parts to be discarded elsewhere.”

The wheel at first was treated in a basic solution at the Relic Room before Legg moved it to his laboratory. Most of the recovered iron items considered the most important have been conserved.

The wheel has presented some challenges

Legg keep the wheel fragment in a shower stall for about a month during rinsing and hand cleaning. The artifact then went into a small tank, where it is undergoing polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment for about another year.

“For size comparison this thing appears to be the same size as those seen on the NPS field artillery carriages -- fairly massive,” Legg wrote. In any case, they are the same basic design as a heavy wagon wheel hub.” (A gun carriage wheel at Chickamauga, Jim Legg photo)

I asked Legg whether the wheel has presented a conservation challenge.

“Yes, the fact that it is heavily encased in wrought iron hardware. Ideally, it would be cut apart, and the iron bands would be treated with electrolysis while the wood underwent the PEG process, then reassembled.” He said the cost for that would be enormous.

“I did a lot of manual cleaning of the iron before I started the PEG, but the bands are still fairly crusty. The iron will pretty much have to fend for itself, and I can only hope that it is not too unstable after the process is done. I can probably do some hand cleaning at that stage, perhaps with air abrader (a tool used to reduce corrosion), which will at least make it look better.”

A few items are distinctively modern

Norris said the project encountered Native American ceramics and projectile points and typical historic glass and ceramics that you would expect to find in river a flowing through a city.

The Relic Room exhibit on the Congaree finds will include a few non-Civil War items. Legg provided a photo (above) with a range: A brass hose nozzle, an iron sash weight, a Waterbury Clock Company winding key, an iron fork with wood handle (possibly Civil War), a silver plate fork from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, two .50-caliber BMG cartridges dated 1944, a pocket knife and a fire department button from the 1890s. 

Legg will produce a report on 1865 ordnance dump and a exhibit, possibly to open in 2027, at the Relic Room in Columbia.

“I have recently had some preliminary discussions with the museum about the exhibit, and the permanent curation of the collection there,” he said.

A group of 24-pounder and 12-pounder Confederate canister plates (SCIAA photo)

I asked Legg, who has helped produce three exhibits at the museum, how it might interpret the hundreds of historic artifacts found in the Congaree River cleanup.

“My thinking right now is to put the ordnance dump in the more general context of the Federal destruction of military resources in and around Columbia. I will also want to cover the pollution mitigation project itself, which was an amazing thing to see, even aside from the archaeology component.”

The Picket has reached out to the Relic Room for comment.

Recent view of the wagon wheel hub undergoing conservation in Columbia (SCIAA photo)

A coastal Georgia warehouse survived the 1863 burning of Darien, a scene in the movie 'Glory.' The tabby building fell on hard times, but after a long restoration it's again a center of commerce -- as a brewery

In July 2023 (Picket photo) nearing completion (Marion Savic) and side view (Ethos Preservation)

This is a classic story of standing the test of time. The Adam Strain Building was at a crossroads at the time of a 2011 talk about historic structures along the Darien, Ga., waterfront.

One of just a few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast, the weathered warehouse had survived a controversial fire during the Civil War, hurricanes, economic downturns, Father Time and decades of emptiness. 

A Brunswick News article previewing the event had this prophetic line: “Today the building sits in its solemnity, waiting for an adventurous soul or business to once more give life to the building that would not die.”

Now, nearly five years after they invested a lot of money and heart into the project, entrepreneurs Milan and Marion Savic. working with a team of specialists, have completed the painstaking restoration of the Adam Strain Building and turned it into an aptly named business: Tabby House Brewing Company. The two-story building perched above a waterfront bluff has literally been saved from falling in on itself. And part of its charm is that the venue still shows its age in places, including curved walls.

The main floor of Tabby House Brewing (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The nanobrewery – through word of mouth and social media – had a soft opening November 15. Visitors have posted favorable comments on the beer, food and the building’s features and atmosphere.

A Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting is set for 11 a.m. Dec. 13.

Patrons can sample cocktails and a red ale, “The Altie,” an IPA, “The Double Darien,” and a stout, “The Celtic Cross,” inside the stylish interior or a rooftop patio that overlooks the Darien River. The food menu includes sandwiches, flatbreads and grazing boards. The brewery, working from two tanks, will eventually produce six beers in a rotation. Chef Jack Persinger is handling the brewing and food service.

“We’ve had a great reception,” wrote Marion Savic in an email to the Civil War Picket. ”It’s been a great journey. We have an excellent team, all experts in their respective fields. The building has been restored so people can see what it would have looked like back in the 1800s. We are thrilled with how it turned out and with the support we have received from the community.” (Photo of patio overlooking Darien River by Joe Kasper)

I have written about the daunting project since April 2020 and I paid a visit to the circa 1815 building to check the work on a sultry day in early July 2023.

The commerce building’s connection to the Federal burning of Darien in 1863 first drew me to its story. My current interest is a museum the Savics hope to open by February. They are currently devising exhibits for the second floor, which includes an event space.

“The museum will house a rotating display of our artifact finds and some things that have been given to us from locals,” Savic said. “We also have a few things that were found in the building. There are old newspapers from the Darien News and we’ll have a couple of those scanned and framed.”

Scenes of the Adam Strain interior and roof in 2020 (Courtesy Landmark Preservation)

The aim is to spotlight the Georgia town’s rich maritime history – from rice, cotton and lumber to fishing and shrimping, architecture and stories from local people.

Savic told the Picket last year they want to present it in an inclusive way. Some have suggested mention of Gullah-Geechee culture and history passed down by descendants of enslaved people who for years were the backbone of the Darien economy.

“It certainly would be asset to the Darien waterfront section to have a museum focused on the 19^th century maritime history of the town,” said Buddy Sullivan, a coastal Georgia historian and author. “Something like that has long been needed.”

The venue now is a financial and cultural anchor in the small downtown.

"Considered a public safety hazard at project outset, the resolve to stabilize the building and preserve as much historic material as possible was not an easy endeavor but rather one that took extra thought and creative solutions from experts and dedicated craftsmen," said Rebecca Fenwick of Ethos Preservation, one of several firms that worked with the Savics.

"Historic buildings are community assets that contribute significantly to sense of place and serve as storytellers of the past. Without them, a place's history becomes less tangible and authenticity is lost. The Strain Building project embodies these values and, collectively, we all benefit," Fenwick wrote in an email.

Infamous burning of town earned scene in 'Glory'

The Strain has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small, interior port city above St. Simons Island for more than two centuries. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Scene from "Glory" shows troops arriving in Darien in June 1863.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells, lime and other materials and was popular in Georgia and Florida for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco was placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

The warehouse was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast during the Civil War. The downtown area was a much busier place than it is today, though the Strain and other projects signal a small, but growing resurgence.

In June 1863, Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, (left) commanding the African-American 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

He had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins. The destruction was depicted in the award-winning 1989 film "Glory."

Steven Smith, site manager for nearby Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket first wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

After most townspeople had fled, Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The Strain survived the fire but much of its interior was destroyed. The episode caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North.

Bullet made for Enfield rifle was found along bluff

Civil War bullet found during archaeological dig (Courtesy Marion Savic)

Among the items found by an archaeological team in 2020 was a Civil War-era bullet -- likely an Enfield round. The team found it on the bluff, Savic told the Picket. The so-called Pritchett bullet was used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. The rifle was used by both sides during the conflict, and the Confederacy imported thousands from England.

It’s not known how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. The building did not come to be named for businessman Adam Strain – a Civil War veteran of the 5^th Georgia Cavalry -- until after the conflict.

Another find during the project were Savannah grey bricks behind the walls of a small building that adjoins the Strain. It had been used as a bank and law offices following the Civil War and now houses the business' kitchen, bathrooms and brewery.

The rear of the former bank building, which adjoins the Strain (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savics turned to the Savannah-based Coastal Heritage Society to catalog the numerous artifacts found during the work. A 2021 report listed hundreds of items.

“Much of the research that was successfully carried out at the Strain Site was unantici­pated, to say the least,” said a report. “Evidence of prehistoric occupations, some dating 5000 years to the Late Archaic Period is found throughout the site.”

Over the years, the Strain was used for a variety of purposes, including a ship's chandlery, a pharmacy, and a mercantile (hardware) business, the last of which was as a clothing manufacturer or storage site, according to the report. At some point over the years, it was used to store antiques and house or produce shoes. 

Fenwick, with Ethos Preservation, said the restoration offers a visual representation to visitors of Darien's life in the 19th century.'

"Evidence of the building's craftsmanship, to include brick lintels embedded in the tabby above door and window openings and even the buttresses added to the west elevation to prevent earlier decay, are significant and worthy of celebration," she said. 

(Example of tabby in the building, Picket photo, and supports used to stabilize the west wall, courtesy Marion Savic)

Missy Brandt Wilson, who grew up in Darien and still owns a home there, has long supported the revitalization of the Strain building. She loves how an old pulley has been retained.

“I went into the building before restoration and now I can actually see how the warehouse worked on the Darien riverfront,” the Athens, Ga., resident said.

New life after sitting empty for about 55 years

The Strain Building survived the 1863 flames, was repaired after the Civil War and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II. It then sat empty for about 50 or so years, said Savic.

Downtown has grown since this view of the Strain (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

The structure, perhaps the oldest surviving in Darien, was beloved by its 2,000 residents, who worried for its future as its appearance worsened. The years rolled on. The building’s condition had become so precarious by 2008 that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its "Places in Peril" list.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property in January 2020. Local residents were integral in the effort to save the Strain, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Two hundred-plus years had done its damage. A wall had a pronounced lean, the back wall facing the river was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability. The building was at risk of being toppled by strong winds.

In the 1920s, five years ago and a few weeks ago (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Atlanta-area couple turned to an array of contracted historic preservation experts to shore up the building and create something new, and also pursuing innovative tax credits. The work often had to break for permits, updated engineering plans and supplies. (The Savics have kept the leaning wall to emphasize its story and durability.)

Research and close attention to what the old building had to say has paid off. Fenwick said missing elements were discovered during construction, including a central warehouse style opening on the front façade. That was restored during the project.

The Strain Building has become a good example of how the historic tax incentives in Georgia make such projects possible, said Fenwick.

“A combined 45% back on rehabilitation expenses from state and federal credits plus a 8-year tax freeze alleviated some of the cost associated with a project that had a significant financial burden. Structural costs for stabilization alone were substantial. Labor of love is fitting.”

Upstairs area will feature event space and museum, note figures on back left wall (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savic family operates a nearby modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. They also have operated businesses in Marietta, near Atlanta.

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in plans to boost the small downtown district.

Darien, hit hard by the economic slowdown about 15 years ago, wants to attract more retirees who live along coastal Georgia and motorists who get off Interstate 95 to take in history, the small shrimping fleet and the natural beauty of the area.

Ben Sutton, director of preservation for the Georgia Trust, told the Picket the Strain Building is significant due to its age, size and method of construction.

“The Savics have been strong supporters of the Georgia Trust, so we are even more excited that the project has been done by such good friends. It is a fantastic example of reimagining a use for a historic building -- and just goes to show that a building is rarely too far gone to be brought back into useful service,” he said.

After many years, she feels good about Strain's future

I spoke this week by phone with Joe Kasper, a home builder and carpenter who showed me around during my 2023 visit to Darien. He did wood work at the Strain for Savannah contractor Landmark Preservation, and found the restoration to be challenging and rewarding.

About 75 percent of the wood – mostly Southern yellow pine – is original. Two sets of stairs he built had to be customized because of the age of the building. “Because the building is not level, I made it work with the building.” He said that was among the most enjoyable of his tasks. (Photo courtesy Joe Kasper)

And there were other challenges. “All the walls are bowed out, out of plumb and they just changed from foot to foot,” he said.

The crews made the Strain stable by building an interior steel frame, reinforcing the walls and using rods and stars to strengthen the structure. Crews paid as much attention to detail as possibly, including taking apart the main floor and reassembling it for a modern finish.

They were able to retain much of the original tabby but some eroded areas were reworked with new oyster shell and material, Kasper said.

Fenwick said historic material was salvaged whenever possible, including framing, flooring, ceiling boards, tabby, trusses and other details such as a mural painted on plaster and a hoist system on the second floor.

"Additionally, in order for the building's structural system to be successful, additional tie rods were installed, in keeping with those visible on the exterior at the start of the project. This is a great example of the addition of new elements designed to be harmonious with the historic building."

The rear of the Strain in 2020 (Landmark Preservation and post-restoration (Ethos Preservation)

Tabby House Brewing features a ground-floor brick patio in the back and a patio deck upstairs. Both command a view of the Darien River, which connects the city to the Atlantic Ocean and the world.

Wilson, former chairman of the McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission, told me several years ago she used to pray over the building before the Savics stepped in.

“I hope it’s the economic engine the vast economic reports have predicted if it was restored,” she said recently. “I can honestly say for the first time since I’ve been a child in Darien, I can drive by the building and not hold my breath waiting for something bad to happen. It’s lovely seeing the people who said there was no hope to see hope happen.”  

Tabby House Brewing Company is at 111 Broad St. in Darien. Click here for hours and more.

From sodium carbonate to dental picks, here's what they use to conserve cannonballs, canister shot and bullets found in Columbia, S.C., river cleanup

Iron canister balls, 12-pounder solid shot and iron points used for defenses (James Legg, SCIAA)

Laboratories in South Carolina and Georgia are using electrical currents and soda ash to clean and conserve hundreds of Civil War iron artifacts that were recovered during a cleanup of the Congaree River in Columbia, S.C.

Some of the captured weapons and ammunition that Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops dumped into the river in the last months of the Civil War reemerged in 2022 and 2023 as crews removed century-old coal tar along the shoreline.

About 2.5 tons of debris – including trash, tires and scrap metal – were carted off, with the project concluding 10 months ago.

The Civil War-related artifacts include 6-pounder, 12-pounder and 10-inch projectiles, a large number of canister and grape shot balls, canister plates, a wagon wheel remnant, small arms ammunition and a Confederate sword blade. Only the lead bullets do not require conservation. The wheel is believed to be from that era and is in a large tank while experts research its age.

In February 1865, Sherman’s men threw Confederate war materiel into the river after they took what they wanted before marching to North Carolina. Much of the South Carolina capital went up in flames, from a variety of sources, after its surrender. (Left, artifacts shown to the media last year, SCIAA)

The Picket has stayed in touch with Sean Norris, program archaeologist for TRC Companies, a subcontractor for Dominion Energy, and Jim Legg, public archaeologist for the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA).

TRC and SCIAA are dividing the conservation, with the aim of tendering the artifacts to the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia for an eventual exhibit.

The Picket asked the pair for an update on the conservation, with the following responses sent by Norris. Some have been edited for brevity or context.

Q. How many Civil War artifacts are currently under conservation treatment? How many have been completed, roughly?

A. More than 500 Civil War related artifacts were recovered during the project. All of the iron artifacts are currently undergoing electrolysis. This is a long process and they will be in electrolysis tanks for a few months.

Electrolysis tanks treating Congaree River dumped Civil War ordnance(James Legg, SCIAA)

Q. Can you tell me a little more about the electrolysis? How large are the tanks, what is the process?

A. Electrolytic reduction (electrolysis) is undertaken on iron artifacts with two important goals, including (1) the removal of soil/iron product concretion and substantially mineralized iron, and (2) the electrolytic removal of chlorides and other contaminants from porous surfaces on and within the objects.

Electrolysis tanks use sheet stainless steel anodes in a mild solution of sodium carbonate (soda ash) as electrolyte. Ordinary manual battery chargers or modulated power supplies provide the current for what is essentially a wet cell battery. Tanks of varying in size from a gallon to 20 gallons are used.

A range of bullets and shot pulled from the river muck (Sean Norris, TRC Companies)

Q. Do some artifacts take a longer electrolysis time than others? Can you briefly describe a scenario like that?

A. Smaller iron objects from relatively uncontaminated terrestrial sites can be considered conserved in as little as 15-20 days. Large objects and complex shapes might run as long as two months. Normally, a tank of several terrestrial iron objects can run for an extended period with its initial setup and solution, with as few as one tank change at some point in the process. The artifacts are also manually cleaned several times, using steel wire brushes and dental picks.

This manual process is repeated in the course of tank changes as well as between changes. This lengthy treatment serves to loosen the iron product material that had replaced varying depths of metallic iron on the objects, and to expel contaminants dwelling primarily at the iron/iron products transition.

Alfred R. Waud's illustration of Columbia on fire in February 1862 (Library of Congress)

Q. What can you tell me about the iron spikes that were found?

A. We believe that the iron spikes are the tip ends to a chevaux-de-frise (made of timber) that was likely placed in the water or around the roads and bridges of Columbia as defensive obstacles.

Q. Is electrolysis the final stage for most of these items? Or do some receive other treatments? 

A. The next step is intensive, repeated boiling, with the goal of removing any contaminants still present. This involves boiling artifacts in a mildly basic solution, typically about a teaspoon of sodium carbonate in a two-gallon stainless steel pot. After about an hour of vigorous boiling, the artifacts are rinsed in cold water for several minutes, and then returned to boiling in a fresh basic solution. This cycle is repeated several times for each batch of artifacts. For the final boil, the solution is nearly neutral, so as flush excess sodium carbonate from porous surfaces. Additional rinsing follows, in hot and cold tap water. (If sodium carbonate is not thoroughly rinsed from an artifact, white crystals may eventually appear on the surface). Heat drying follows the boiling phase. This is accomplished on an ordinary electric stove burner on low to medium heat. Immersion in microcrystalline wax is the next step, one undertaken primarily to cover the surface and fill the porous elements of the iron object to exclude air and moisture. I submerge the objects, several at a time, in a pan of molten microcrystalline wax to seal the artifacts.

Canister ball (left) undergoing treatment, 10-inch shells awaiting their turn (James Legg, SCIAA)

Q. I assume this stage will continue into 2025?

A. The conservation phase will take several months for all the artifacts.

Q. Are the river iron points, canister, 6- and 12-pound shells, along with bullets, all Confederate? Any idea what the 10-inch shells were fired by?

A. We believe all are Confederate. None were actually fired. They were all removed from the various armories around Columbia. Most of the artillery rounds are solid shot. The 10-inch balls were shells with open fuse holes but did not contain any black powder.

Q. The stirrup under conservation -- Federal or Confederate? Is the type of saddle known? 

A. We are now leaning toward a non-military stirrup (right). 

Q. Anything particularly interesting on location, context, etc, for the artifacts?

A. In general, these artifacts were in a dynamic, constantly changing environment since (the) time they were discarded in the river. After first being thrown into the river, their positions were shifted around by the current, past recovery attempts and flood events. Their depositional context would be considered disturbed, meaning that we really can’t interpret much information from their location. The majority of the artifacts were recovered close to the riverbank (as was expected) with only a few recovered closer to the middle of the river channel.

Missouri ceremony features full honors for Medal of Honor recipient

John Hack's grave is at left in Maple Grove Cemetery (Photos courtesy of Kevin Miller)

About 30 people looked on Sunday as members of the Missouri National Guard, VFW Post 919, two Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War camps and other groups paid their respects to Civil Medal of Honor recipient John Hack of Trenton, Mo.

“It’s always an emotional day for me when I participate in these ceremonies,” Kevin Miller, commander of SUVCW Westport Camp #64, told the Picket in an email. The event at Maple Grove Cemetery was linked to the National Medal of Honor Day. The honors included a rifle salute and wreath-laying.

Mayor Linda Crooks and Miller (left) spoke at Sunday's event in Trenton.

Pvt. Hack, who served with the 47^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, took part in a desperate mission to ferry supplies to Union forces below Vicksburg, Ms.

Hack was one of about 10 men to receive the Medal of Honor for the May 3, 1863, attempt to take barges past Rebel fortifications on the Mississippi River. The gallant effort failed, but it is remembered for what the soldiers endured, including their stint as prisoners.

 Missouri National Guard folds the flag during the ceremony.

According to his 1933 obituary in the Trenton Republican-Times, Hack later fought at Missionary Ridge. Hack continued service until Aug. 20, 1864, in Atlanta, when he was discharged after completing his time of service. Hack came to Trenton from Vincennes, Ind., in about 1890. He served about 15 years as justice of the peace and worked as a machinist for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

He was a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic veterans group.

VFW members are flanked by SUVCW members at cemetery

Picket exclusive: 20 artifacts from the CSS Georgia are now on display at the National Civil War Naval Museum. Read all about them!

6-pounder gun, partial anchor, bottle top (National Civil War Naval Museum)

Serving on the Confederate ironclad CSS Georgia wasn’t a peach of an assignment. The vessel was too underpowered to move and needed constant pumping so it wouldn’t sink. Sailors, meanwhile, drilled and labored in Savannah’s brutally hot environment. And they never saw any action – at least the combat kind.

Visitors to the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Ga., are able to view artifacts that speak of weaponry, diversions and discipline for those who served on the floating battery, which was scuttled by its crew in December 1864 when Sherman’s army neared the city.

The U.S. Navy -- via the Naval History and Heritage Command -- recently loaned and shipped more than 20 conserved artifacts to the museum. Officials expect more shipments in the years ahead. (Picket photo at left shows propeller in foreground, with shaft just beyond)

Most of the ironclad’s wreckage was removed a few years back as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ deepening of the Savannah River to make room for larger tankers. 

Thousands of artifacts underwent treatment at Texas A&M University, which shipped them to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. for storage. 

The Navy has been in contact with museums over possible loans regarding the CSS Georgia, but the National Civil War Naval Museum has been the only one to sign on thus far, officials said.

A portion of a sword sheath found on the river bottom.

Because the remains of the CSS Georgia were in a river that swept all kinds of manmade items downstream, it’s impossible to know how many artifacts pulled up during the project date to the Civil War. But, ostensibly, most do.

The Civil War Picket received the following inventory from the Naval History and Heritage Command and used information from an archaeological report on the project and other sources to describe the items that are now in Columbus. 

All photos are courtesy of the National Civil War Naval Museum except where noted.

Leg irons: 15.5" x 5.0", 1.88 pounds
A few sets of these encrusted devices were recovered from the wreck site, likely used to discipline sailors who got into trouble on or off shore.

Ceramic ironstone bowl, partial, white glaze: 9.25" x 7.0" x 2.25", 1.2 pounds
Hundreds of whole or broken pieces of ceramics were found on the river bottom, including four forged from ironstone.

Metal iron hook and eye: 11" x 7.5", 3.88 pounds

Copper alloy sabot: 6.5" (diameter) x 1.375", 7.8 pounds

The sabot, designed to ensure an artillery shell was in the proper position in the barrel, was described this way in the final report on the project:

“The shallow copper saucer, bowl or basin appearance of the aft face of a Brooke copper ratchet disc sabot. Interestingly, this is a spent or fired sabot indicated by the grooving on its exterior side. The hammer marks may have been a result of fitting the sabot onto the shell prior to firing.”

Light blue bottle: 9.5" x 2.25" (diameter), 0.54 pounds, believed to have held wine

Colorless bottle, partial with broken neck: 6.0" x 1.75" (diameter), 0.5 pounds -- Photo of top of post
This “is a thick-walled, strangely shaped bottle with a small base of a diameter that would allow it to fit into one of the rings; glass fragments similar to this bottle were found in several units across the site. Seven glass bottle stoppers, divided into four categories, were recovered, and may belong to cruet or decanter sets.”

6-pounder iron cannon, Noble Brothers Foundry: 125.25" (artifact length) 132" x 36" x 28" (crate), 1,240 pounds

This piece of ordnance is one of five recovered in 2015, and it was originally located on the spark deck aft. It is the only one of its type discovered in the river, and it was manufactured in Rome, Ga. It was presented to the Confederacy by the “Ladies of Rome.” The left trunnion is marked August 1862.

James Noble, an Englishman, organized the company with his six sons in 1855. By January 1862, the firm was heavily engaged in the production of cannon and battery equipment. “The Noble Brothers experienced considerable success in the casting of bronze and iron field guns. Between April 1861 and October 1862, some 58 field pieces were delivered to the Confederacy. Of these, at least 15 were cast iron 6 pounders.”

A dispute with the Confederate government in late 1862 ended all ordnance contracts with the foundry.

The Corps report says: “The Noble Brothers’ plant was destroyed when Sherman’s troops entered Rome on May 18, 1864. The large smokestacks of the foundry were blown up and the shops burned. The Union troops attempted to dismantle the lathe using sledgehammers, with little success. The hammer marks are still visible today and the fire caused minimum damage to the lathe. The massive machine stayed in production until the mid-1960s.”

Iron gun port, partial: 24.0" x 14.5" x 4.125", 192 pounds (photo above, with cannon)

(Civil War Picket photo)

Complete triple-bladed propeller: 6' (diameter) 55" x 82" x 73" (crate), 2,700 pounds

From the final archaeological report prepared for the Army Corps:

“It is not known what kind of engine the CSS Georgia employed, but it is known that the LGA Steering Committee searched for one far and wide. In a letter written on June 11, 1862, John Elliot states that the vessel had a double engine and twin propellers. The engines were only able to make about 2 knots under full steam. All agreed they were inadequate for propelling the vessel against the swift currents or tides of the Savannah River. The engines did, however, serve a functional purpose, as one writer in 1862 stated, ‘Our iron floating battery is a splendid failure. She has been taken down between the forts and they are obliged to keep her engines at work the whole time to prevent her sinking, she leaks so badly’ It is thought that the vessel’s leaking was most likely a result of building her with unseasoned wood, a common practice in Confederate vessel construction.”

Complete propeller shaft: 12' x 5.68" (diameter) 132" x 36" x 28" (crate), 1,510 pounds

The triple-bladed propeller is mounted on a 6-inch diameter shaft approximately 12 feet 6 inches in length. Because two of its three blades were buried, jetting was conducted to uncover the blades prior to lifting. Once lifted onto the barge deck, the shaft was cut free from the 8-foot blade with a saw for ease of transportation and conservation. A single strut indicates the vessel would have had two propellers, and historical sources indicate that the CSS Georgia was powered by “a double engine and twin propellers,” according to the Corps report.

Leather shoe sole and upper fragments: 4 pieces, “10 5/16" x 3.5" x 0.02" (sole), 0.14 pounds

Some 68 boot or shoe fragments were recovered from the site. Most are small fragmentary pieces of leather with no complete shoe or boot, the soles of several examples being the most intact portion of recovered footwear.

Leather shoe heel with partial sole: 4.1" x 2.6" x 0.98" (heel thickness/ 0.02" (sole thickness), 0.16 pounds

Leather fire hose, partial with small bag of leather fragments: “9.75 x 4.5 x 1.02”, 0.56 pounds

Copper alloy sword sheath: “2.52 x 1.6 x 0.6”, 0.06 pounds

Numerous small arms including a mostly complete pistol, eight Enfield bullet cartridges, 90+ bullets of varying caliber for pistol and rifle, two bullet molds, two gunflints and two sword and five bayonet hilts were recovered.

Copper alloy gun sight, forward with "N 714" (mark): “3.98" x 1.34" x 2.36", 1.16 pounds

A naval gun had to be raised to an appropriate degree of elevation to achieve the necessary range to strike a distant object at sea. This sight was placed on the front of the barrel.

Small partial iron anchor: “40.5" x 21.0" x 10.0", 180 pounds

The use of this particular anchor is unknown.

Kaolin pipe bowl, with floral decoration: “1.61" x 0.91" x 0.87", 0.02 pounds

Eight kaolin smoking pipes were recovered in the wreckage of the CSS Georgia. Similar to the prehistoric ceramics, and some percentage of the glass and historic ceramics recovered from the site, “the kaolin smoking pipe bowls are potentially intrusive (non-Civil War), although some if not all could easily have been personal property of those on board.”

Worm-eaten wood wedges: 2 pieces, “3.5" 1.54" x 0.94" (larger fragment), 0.06 pounds

Coal fragments: 2 pieces, “2.56" x 1.73" x 1.06" (larger piece) / “1.73" x 1.57" x 0.83" (smaller piece), 0.18 pounds

The CSS Georgia could have easily carried 100 tons of coal, but it’s unknown how much it carried at the time of its scuttling. Bunkers would likely have been located outboard of the boiler on both sides of the hull.

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The Picket recently visited the museum, which put smaller artifacts in a large glass case. Signage and interpretation are still in the works.

Smaller CSS Georgia artifacts (Picket photo)