EHRHARDT--Cannon fire echoed through the Bamberg County countryside near Ehrhardt this weekend during reenactments of the Battle of Rivers Bridge.

The living history demonstrations were staged by the 25th South Carolina Volunteers, Palmetto Battalion Inc., with assistance from Rivers Bridge Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #842.

For two days, a stretch of land adjacent to S.C. Highway 641 was transformed into a replica of the field where on Feb. 2-3, 1865, a battalion of Confederate soldiers, outnumbered nearly eight to one, made a stand against Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's massive army.

To view video footage of the reenactment, click here.

Civil War buffs, members of the Sons of the Confederacy and self-proclaimed "history junkies" commemorated the final stand of Confederate Gen. Lafayette McLaws' battalion against Sherman's troops before their march on to Columbia which was severely damaged by fire two weeks after the stand at Rivers Bridge.

"We used to hold the reenactments at the actual historical site," Palmetto Battalion Brigade Quartermaster Jerry Morris said. "It has been an evolution really. We started at the State Park just down the road, but there was concern that the activity might damage the site. Also, we had really outgrown the park. The landowner here allowed us to use of his land a few years ago. He just said, 'Have at it, boys.'"

Trenches, or "earthen fo.jpgications," with thick interwoven tree branches like barbed wire over the top, sliced into a shallow hill opposite the dense forestland across a small field.

Beyond the field were other attractions, including a string of cotton tents referred to as "the settlement," a general store selling everything from knives to bees wax candles and an historically accurate one-room cabin where female volunteers of the 25th South Carolina Infantry and the Charleston Ladies Aid Society, dressed in hoop skirts and calico print dresses, worked the "Homestead."

The ladies guided visitors through the activities required to maintain the home in 1865, churning butter, spinning wool, knitting, sewing and cooking over an open fire.

"We are in a unique position to portray the Civil War through the family," Colleen Carney noted. "All of us here have a love of history. We have real jobs to support this hobby, but at heart we are all just research junkies."

Participant Rhonda Baiocco said, "It is so much fun getting dressed up and doing these reenactments. I am a counselor by day, and this is my own kind of stress management. It is so funny talking with children who have no concept of life before electricity."

The "Homestead" cabin's presence signified the close proximity of the battles fought here nearly two centuries prior. The Civil War was not something removed and foreign to people. Rather, it was waged right in one's backyard. Shortly before the reenactment, the "Homestead" ladies are asked to gather a few items from the house and prepare to run across the field, simulating the family's departure from their home as the battle encroached, a common occurrence during the Civil War.

Shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, reenactors in heavy wool uniforms, black powder rifles in hand, took their places. The boys in blue spread out through the trees while the volunteers on the Confederate side took to the trenches. Five replica cannons were rolled out to the lip of the trenches, and artillerymen scurried to and fro hauling boxes of powder ammunition in preparation for the main event. Visitors, many from neighboring states, filtered over to the battlefield and assembled behind the Confederate trenches.

In the distance, a single bugle sounded, and the Battle of Rivers Bridge was under way. Artillerymen working the cannons began their choreographed work, and as the first shots of the cannons thundered through the trees, people in the crowd jumped and children covered their ears, startled by the loud boom.

The calvary was called into action to recreate McLaws' flanking of the Union troops. The noise was deafening as shots rang out across the field. Through the cacophony, a captain cried out for reinforcements. Two lines of soldiers marched out from the trees to join the ranks in the dirt.

Roughly 30 minutes after the first bugle sound, Saturday's battle was over. The popping of gunfire slowed to a halt, and the smoke cleared. Suddenly, a voice called out to "resurrect," and the fallen soldiers sprang back to life. Reenactors dressed as Union troops marched across the field to meet the Confederate battalion.

Saturday's battle marked a small victory for the Confederates in that they held off the massive Union Army in their campaign and managed to decrease the Union's numbers significantly.

Claude Sinclair, the Confederate commander, spoke briefly to the audience following Sunday's battle reenactment about the importance of commemorating valiant efforts in battle like those illustrated at Rivers Bridge.

"We must always remember, the United States is the home of the free because of the brave," Sinclair said.

Confederate reenactor Steven Howard said, "It is great coming out and doing these things. This is something for the whole family to enjoy. ... It is a way to honor your ancestors and enjoy the good old days."

The Rivers Bridge Reenactment is held annually on the anniversary of the battle. The actual battlefield and the memorial cemetery can be seen at the Rivers Bridge State Historical Site, which is open year-round.

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