The land battle that followed was one of the bloodiest of the war. When French ships carrying troops were spotted off the Georgia coast, the British hurried to scuttle at least six ships in the Savannah River downstream from the city to block the French vessels. Savannah had been under British occupation for about a year by the fall of 1779, when colonists planned an attack to retake the city with help from French and Haitian allies. Meanwhile, researchers are looking for more definitive proof linking the cannons to British ships from the American Revolution.įarmer said researchers are very confident of the connection. The cannons are being kept in water to prevent further deterioration until experts can carefully clean them. “Some of these pieces are in amazing condition and I’m sure could tell some stories,” Nash said.