This historical marker marks the location of the railroad bridge over Salt River at Shepherdsville which was repeatedly attacked during the Civil War.
Description: Destroyed three times by CSA. Partially razed on Sept. 7, 1862, by troops under Col. John Hutcheson. During the occupation of Shepherdsville, Sept. 28, Braxton Bragg's troops again destroyed it, but new bridge was up by Oct. 11. After Battle of Elizabethtown, Dec. 27, John Hunt Morgan's men moved along tracks, destroying everything on way to trestle works at Muldraugh's Hill.
Actually, the bridge was never completely destroyed, only damaged. Each time the raiders did not have the ability to destroy the iron bridge (others they had encountered before were wooden and could be burned). The attackers could only burn the ties and tear up the tracks. Union soldiers would quickly come down and chase away the raiders and soon repair the bridge. On the third attempt, in September 1862, the Confederate officer had strong orders to not leave town until the bridge was destroyed. He wrote urgent messages back to his general requesting "special drills and powder" to effect the orders. With Union troops approaching in large numbers, both officer and General decided to report the bridge destroyed so they could retreat. And so they did, eventually retreating all the way to what became the battle of Perryville.
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The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Sep 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/hmarkers/lnbridge.html
