We are searching for descendants of the soldiers of the men who fought at the Battle of Rivers Bridge (Feb.2-3, 1865).

It is hoped that we will have a series of special events during Feb. 2015 commemorating the 150th anniversary of that conflict.

We hope to invite as many of these descendants as possible to these events.

If any of you are descendants of participants, or have information, please send it to Ranger White.

This would give these people a once in a like time opportunity to learn how their ancestors contributed to the war effort of their country.

While Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union armies marched north across South Carolina, about 1,200 Confederates under Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws were posted at the crossing on the Salkehatchie River. Union soldiers began to build bridges to bypass McLaws on February 2. The next day two brigades under Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair waded through the swamp and flanked the Confederates. McLaws withdrew toward Branchville after stalling Sherman's advance for only one day and Sherman's forces continued moving north into North Carolina.

The site is commemorated by the Rivers Bridge State Historical Site. (from Wikipedia)

The following units fought at Rivers Bridge:

Confederate - 3rd Arkansas Cavalry, 32nd nd 47th Georgia, 5th Georgia Reserves, 3d South Carolina Cavalry, Earle's Battery Company A, South Carolina Palmetto Battalion Light Artillery, 4th Tennessee Cavalry, 8th and 11th Texas Cavalry

Union - 10th and 64th Illinois Infantry, 25th Indiana Infantry, 18th Missouri Infantry, 35th New Jersey Infantry, 27th, 39th, 43rd, and 63rd Ohio Infantry, 25th and 32nd Wisconsin Infantry

Send your information to:

Dan Bell

Historic Resource Coordinator

South Carolina State Park Service

Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site

1500 Old Towne Road

Charleston, SC 29407

dbell@scprt.com

843-571-6623

Charge of Weaver's Brigade Across the Salkehatchie  (from Wikipedia)