David Brinkman (r) believes this marker on the Broad River Bridge is incorrect. He believes Sherman's army crossed the river upstream, not downstream as the marker indicates. He asks History Detectives host Elyse Luray to determine if the evidence supports his theory. A long lost Civil War bridge has been discovered. While clearing some newly purchased property along the Broad River in Columbia, David Brinkman, the owner, discovered evidence of an old bridge abutment. He searched the river for clues and thinks he may have pinpointed the location where Confederates burned the bridge to thwart General Sherman's attempt to cross into Columbia to continue his scorch- and- burn campaign.

History Detectives

host Elyse Luray went to Columbia in April to examine the evidence and see if this discovery will redraw the maps of the Civil War. Her discovery

will be the subject of History

Detectives on Monday, September 7, at 9 pm.

History Detectives host Elyse Luray uses a gradiometer to measure the electromagnetic responses from the terrain around the Broad River. This technology, which draws a picture of the traffic history along the road to the river, helped pinpoint where Sherman staged his troops while waiting to cross the river. Dr. Jon Leader, SC State Archaeologist, Alan Roberson of the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, and Dr. Rodger Stroup of the S.C. Department of Archives and History took part in the investigation. One of the producers was Sarah Gregory, a Columbian and graduate of USC.

David Brinkman is secretary of the Greater Piedmont Chapter of The Explorers Club. For information on the club or the upcoming TV show, contact David at dobrink @bellsouth.net.