This story dates to the Civil War and appears in two books, Sherman Carmichael’s Legends and Lore of South Carolina and Tally Johnson’s Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry.
We have highlighted several articles of General Sherman’s army march across the state that resulted in cities, towns, and railroads burned, and enslaved people like Burrell Hemphill killed in Blackstock.
A group of refugees split for Spartanburg after hearing Sherman’s army was en route to Greenville. Fearing for their lives, they sought refuge under the train trestle that crossed the Enoree River. A young mother and child were part of the group. During the night, the child suffocated when the mother tried to prevent the baby from crying by holding her hand over her mouth.
The mother went crazy and prevented the members of the group from burying the child, and decided to stay back as the party moved forward. It is said that some members looked back and observed the mother jumping from the trestle with her baby tightly snuggled against her chest to her death below. Only the child’s body was recovered from the river and given a proper burial.
Legend says that if you walk across this trestle, you can hear the muffled cry of a baby. Another story says that you can see the apparition of the woman searching for her baby in the afterlife down the riverbank.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image: Reddit
