The experience was so miserable that some decided to desert. "Some deserted, only to be tracked down and returned to the ship, where they were slapped in leg irons (some found on the wreck), maybe flogged and forced into the gunboat's suffocating innards shoveling coal.
"Someone had to keep the boiler going day and night, otherwise the Georgia would surely sink." Not only could the ship not move, she was extremely leaky because of the green wood used in her construction.
Then came one William T. Sherman and his army after its March Across Georgia. He arrived by Savannah in late December 1864, less than two and a half years after the ship was built. The ship's captain gave orders to spike the guns, scuttle the ship and retreat to prevent its capture.
The next day, the CSS Georgia was at the bottom of the Savannah River where it remained for the next 150 years.
--Old B-Runner
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