With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Civil War-era cannonball found in Broad River

A 6-pound cannonball found in the Broad River this week likely was fired by Confederate troops in the effort to slow Gen. William T. Sherman’s march on the city 144 years ago this week.

Wednesday’s discovery of the cannonball was announced Friday by the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.

The museum plans to conserve the cannonball — which contained no explosives — to stabilize it from corrison, Roberson said.

The discovery adds to the evidence that the Civil War-era River Road bridge was just north of the current bridge.

Historians have debated the exact location of that wooden bridge, which was burned in advance of Sherman’s troops.

The museum didn’t reveal who found the cannonball or the circumstances around its discovery. But it noted that artifacts in state waterways are covered under the S.C. Underwater Antiquities Act, which means they are the property of the state.

Read entire article at The State ( South Carolina)