Rivers Bridge State Historic Site

Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
Rivers Bridge State Historic Site is located in South Carolina
Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
Rivers Bridge State Historic Site is located in the United States
Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
Nearest cityEhrhardt, South Carolina
Coordinates33°03′22″N 81°05′45″W / 33.05611°N 81.09583°W / 33.05611; -81.09583
Area390 acres (160 ha)
Built1865
Architectural styleEarthen Breastworks
NRHP reference No.72001187[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 23, 1972

Rivers Bridge State Historic Site, also known as Rivers Bridge State Park, located near Ehrhardt, a small town in Bamberg County, South Carolina, is the site of an important Civil War battle.[2][3] It is in this area that General William T. Sherman engaged the Confederate Army on his advance from Savannah, and after two days of battle, outflanked the Confederates and forced them to withdraw. River Bridge State Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.[1]

Mass grave

In 1876 men from nearby communities reburied the Confederate dead from Rivers Bridge in a mass grave about a mile from the battlefield and began a tradition of annually commemorating the battle. The Rivers Bridge Memorial Association eventually obtained the battlefield and in 1945 turned the site over to South Carolina for a state park.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ McCorkle, Norman; Linda Lake (August 21, 1970). "Rivers Bridge State Park" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Rivers Bridge State Park, Bamberg County (off SC County Rd. 31, Ehrhardt vicinity)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  4. ^ Bell, Daniel. "Rivers Bridge, Battle of". South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies. Retrieved 3 February 2017.