288 The American Civil War
This sketch, prepared by an eyewitness and
published in Harper's Weekly, 1 April 1865, shows
men in the XIV Corps crossing the Catawba River at
Rock Hill, South Carolina, on a pontoon bridge in the
rain. That February it rained heavily in South Carolina,
increasing water levels in rivers and making river
crossings much more dangerous. Sherman's engineers
and pontooneers were experts at laying bridges.
(Author's collection)Hampton, he directed Hardee to delay the
advance by fighting at Averasborough, which
he did successfully on 16 March 1865, at a
loss of 800 men. This bought more time to
accumulate additional troops and set the
trap. Hampton devised a fishhook-shaped
position, and some Federals walked right
into it. On the morning of 19 March, when