Battle of Rivers' Bridge
Battle of Rivers' Bridge Action at Rivers' Bridge | |||||||
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Part of the Campaign of the Carolinas | |||||||
Charge of Weaver's Brigade Across the Salkehatchie | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States (Union) | Confederate States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Francis Preston Blair, Jr. John A. Logan | Lafayette McLaws | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
XVII Corps XV Corps | Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,000 | 1,200 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
124 (18 killed, 106 wounded)[1] |
97 (8 killed, 44 wounded, 45 captured/missing) Campaign of the Carolinas | ||||||
The Battle of Rivers' Bridge (also known as the Action at Rivers' Bridge) took place during the American Civil War on February 3, 1865.
Order of battle
Confederate
Commander: Major General Lafayette McLaws
- Harrison's Brigade: Colonel George Harrison, Jr.
- 1st Georgia Regulars, Colonel Richard Wayne
- 5th Georgia Infantry, Colonel Charles Daniel
- 5th Georgia Reserves, Major Charles McGregor
- 32nd Georgia Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel E. H. Bacon, Jr.
- 47th Georgia Infantry
- Kirkland's Brigade: Brigadier General William Whedbee Kirkland
- 17th North Carolina Infantry, Captain Stuart L. Johnston
- 42nd North Carolina Infantry, Colonel John E. Brown
- 50th North Carolina Infantry, Colonel George Wortham
- 66th North Carolina/10th North Carolina Battalion, Colonel John H. Nethercutt
- Logan's Brigade: Brigadier General Thomas M. Logan
- 1st South Carolina Cavalry: Lieutenant James A. Ratchford
- 2nd South Carolina Cavalry
- 3rd South Carolina Cavalry: Colonel Charles J. Colcock
- Earle's (South Carolina) Battery: Captain William Earle
- 3rd Arkansas Cavalry: Major William Blackwell
Union
- Francis Preston Blair, Jr.
- 1st Division: Major General Joseph A. Mower
- 1st Brigade: Brigadier General John W. Fuller
- 64th Illinois Infantry
- 18th Missouri Infantry
- 27th Ohio Infantry
- 39th Ohio Infantry
- 2nd Brigade: Brigadier General John W. Sprague
- 35th New Jersey Infantry
- 43rd Ohio Infantry
- 63rd Ohio Infantry
- 25th Wisconsin Infantry
- 3rd Brigade: Colonel Charles H. DeGroat
- 10th Illinois Infantry
- 25th Indiana Infantry
- 32nd Wisconsin Infantry
- 1st Brigade: Brigadier General John W. Fuller
- 4th Division: Brevet Major General Giles Alexander Smith
- 1st Brigade: Brigadier General Benjamin F. Potts
- 14/15th Illinois Infantry
- 53rd Illinois Infantry
- 23rd Indiana Infantry
- 53rd Indiana Infantry
- 32nd Ohio Infantry
- 1st Brigade: Brigadier General Benjamin F. Potts
Work in progress
Engagement
While
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.[2] The site is commemorated by the Rivers Bridge State Historic Site.[3]
Battlefield condition
Earthworks used by the Confederate defenders are preserved at the historic site. A portion of the bluff overlooking the river (upon which several Confederate earthworks were located) was significantly altered by the operations of a logging railroad that paralleled the Salkehatchie River during the late 19th century.[4]
Notes
- ^ a b The Battle of Rivers Bridge-Reading 2
- ^ Bell, Daniel. "Rivers Bridge, Battle of". South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Rivers Bridge State Historic Site". South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ "Rivers' Bridge Battlefield Profile" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 3 February 2017.