Sisters Ferry is a historical site where the left wing of Union Maj. Gen. William Sherman's Army crossed the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

during the beginning of General Sherman's " Carolina's Campaign" near the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

History

Sister's Ferry is a ferry crossing the Savannah River established sometime after 1820. The site is approximately 2 miles downstream of an older ferry-crossing site, Two Sister's Ferry, where loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

crossed the Savannah River on March 12, 1780. It is approximately 35 miles upstream from the City of Savannah.

Sherman's Army Crossing

After Sherman captured Savannah, the culmination of his march to the sea, he was ordered by Union Army general-in-chief Lt. Gen.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

to embark his army on ships to reinforce the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

and the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

in Virginia, where Grant was bogged down in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

against Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

. However, he persuaded Grant that he should march north through the Carolinas instead, destroying everything of military value along the way, similar to his march to the sea through

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Sherman was particularly interested in targeting

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, the first state to

secede Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...

from the Union, for the effect it would have on Southern morale. General Sherman gave orders on January 19, 1865 to Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum, commander of the XIV and XX Corps, to cross the Savannah River into

at Sisters Ferry and

Pocotaligo Pocotaligo is an unincorporated community located in northeastern Jasper County, South Carolina, United States, close to the border of Beaufort County. The community takes its name from the Pocotaligo River, a small tidal creek that separates J ...

. At first, General Solcum was delayed by heavy rainfall; the wing was not able to leave the city of Savannah until January 29, 1865. By February 2, Slocum's wing still struggled to cross at the ferry point and lagged behind the rest of Sherman's Army in entering South Carolina. Once they crossed the river, the wing proceeded up Sisters Ferry Road towards the town of Robertville, SC.

References

{{reflist 1865 in South Carolina Campaign of the Carolinas Effingham County, Georgia Jasper County, South Carolina South Carolina in the American Civil War