On 7 Mar 2023 John Simmons Jr. wrote on Gift-163: I am interested in the life of this man for several reasons. I live in Phenix City, Alabama which is on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. On the other side of the river is Columbus, Georgia. There the National Civil War Naval Museum is located. In that museum is a portion of the C.S.S. Chattahoochee. Lt. George Washington Gift was the Executive Officer aboard that ship when in May of 1863 there was a tragic incident in which the boilers exploded while the ship was anchored at Blountstown, Florida on the Apalachicola River. There were 16 members of the crew killed in that accident and many others injured that later died. Lt. Gift reported to the Columbus Enquirer Newspaper the casualty list. I am attempting to find all information possible about the crew of that ship and create profiles for them here on Wikitree. I could use some help. If there is anyone here on Wikitree that can assist I would appreciate their assistance. There were a number of the crew of the C.S.S. Chattahoochee that were also crew members on the C.S.S. Virginia at the famous Battle of the Ironclads in Mar of 1862 at Hampton Roads in Virginia. Some of those men are buried at Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia.
