The Battle of Anderson

Name: The Battle of Anderson
Start: 2025-04-27T14:30:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-27T16:30:00-04:00
Location: Community Building, #3 MainStreet, Piedmont, SC

Schedule

Sun Apr 27 2025 at 02:30 pm to 04:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Community Building, #3 MainStreet, Piedmont, SC | Piedmont, SC

Join Larry Conant and the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society on Sunday Afternoon, April 27, 2025, at 2:30, in the Piedmont Community Building, 3 Main St., Piedmont, SC, as we Commemorate the 160th Anniversary of The Battle of Anderson.
$5.00 admission.
Larry Conant is a resident of Piedmont SC. Prior to coming to South Carolina in 2012, Larry resided in southeastern Massachusetts in an area known as Old Bridgewater. Old Bridgewater was the first inland settlement after Plymouth and Larry’s ancestors have lived in that area continuously since its founding in 1656. As such, Larry has 14 ancestors who were passengers on the Mayflower. He also has an ancestor, Roger Conant, who founded Salem Mass. in 1626.Larry was president of the Old Bridgewater Historical Society for a decade and was also chairman of the West Bridgewater Historical Commission during that time. He is the author of 6 books on local Massachusetts history. Old Bridgewater has property records of the Proprietor’s dating back to its founding. Larry developed the talent for plotting these early land grants.Since arriving in South Carolina, Larry has utilized his mapping skills to locate early grants and deeds for many organizations. These include the Greenville Historical Preservation Commission, the Anderson County Library, The Piedmont Historical Preservation Society, the Upstate South Carolian Cemetery Preservation Alliance, and the Fork Shoals Historical Society.

On May 1st 1865 two forces met in the fields of Piedmont. The Union forces were part of Stoneman’s Raiders, a group of Union Cavalry formed by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in Nashville Tennessee. We will follow the detailed records of this group of 3 brigades of cavalry plus artillery. We will follow their well-documented movements throughout the South to learn their methods and tactics.
The Confederates were a group of cadets from the Arsenal in Columbia that became The Citadel. We will follow their movements around Greenville SC.
A Squadron of Cavalry and the Cadets from the Arsenal met on the fields of Piedmont. How many were involved, how many died and what happened to the survivors will be explained from diaries and letters of the participants. The surprise ending, how there was almost a 2nd Battle of Anderson.
$5.00 admission