Febuary 3rd 1865 Salkehatchie River, Rivers Bridge:
SC Lt Art'y 3rd Palmetto Batt. Company A:

Sr. 2nd Lt S.S. Kirby's two cannons were behind the breast works with a fair sweep of the bridge and road. Here they fought for two days and part of two nights every man had to do what little sleeping he could at his post and what little they had to eat they had to eat it fighting. Just before orders to retreat Rev.Lt.Simeon S Kirby said "Oh Lordy"clutched his breast and fell to his knees. In the next few minutes two more soldiers would have arm wounds one severly. Cannoneer Larke suffers a wound to the neck and pulls Kirby to the rear. Larke notes, Lt.Kirby was dead and those were the last words he uttered. Next, Larke hollars at Sgt J.P. Scruggs "stop fireing the cannons so the smoke can clear or this B____ gonna kill us all". As the smoke cleared Larke saw the Yank behind a log within 20 - 30 steps of the Breast works loading for another shot through the gunners ports. Larke grabbed a rifle from the infantry man next to him and hollared at the sharp shooter. As the sharp shooter looked up Larke shot him clean through the chest.
The Union sharpshooter who killed S.S.Kirby most likely was with the 32nd Wisconsin Infantry. They crossed the river somewhere just above the causeway road. They also had a force of 15 picked marksmen stationed in a rifle pit in the road within 200 yards of the Confederate guns. The commander of this group was a Lieutenant in Company G of the 32nd. The Park has identified most of the unit’s casualties, including 2 guys from Co. G of the 32nd. They got the compiled service records of one, hoping we might find a reference to him being killed and where, but nothing was noted. They think that any such reference will most likely be found in the regimental casualty reports in the National Archives or a letter from a soldier which he states which one of his unit was found dead close to the battery. We are looking for the name of that gunner. Who Killed S S Kirby? His name would complete a small story in the war but a interesting one for Rivers Bridge State Park. The above information was pulled from a letter from William Larke of Piedmont SC to
S.S. Kirby's sister in 1899 detailing his death and returning S.S. Kirby's blood stained Testament to the family. We wanted to post in hopes someone might have this information. Lt S.S. Kirby was one of seven graduates of the 1860 class at The Citadel. He also was a Minister from Elim Baptist Church, Effingham S.C.. In the 1862 Baptist Convention in Greenville SC, Rev Simeon S Kirby was noted for his tours through the camps of the lower state area and handing out Bibles and Hymn books. He was quoted in the text as saying " The soldiers come to me for bibles and hymns like the hungry reach for bread".