COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) -- The National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus has added a new attraction -- a 160-foot replica of a Union blockade ship captured by Confederate commandos near Savannah in 1864.
Former Georgia congressman and secretary of the Army Howard "Bo" Callaway attended the ribbon-cutting on Friday for the combination sidewheeler and sailing ship, called the Water Witch, which will be the signature outdoor emblem for the museum.
After capturing the Water Witch in 1864, the Confederates ran it aground, then moved it upriver beneath a battery. They burned and sank the ship to keep federal troops from recapturing it as forces under Gen. William T. Sherman approached the coast.
Civil War re-enactors in sailor and marine uniforms will participate in a commissioning ceremony on Saturday.
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