The original trestle at Nation Ford was completed in 1852 by the Charlotte & South Carolina R.R. on the site of the ancient crossing known as Nation Ford. Its burning by Federals on April 19, 1865, touched off a sharp battle with Southern forces that resulted in a Union retreat. The trestle was rebuilt after the war, then washed away by flood on July 17, 1916, and rebuilt in its present form. The site is also traditionally associated with the Battle of Liberty Hill, the last conflict between Catawba and Cherokee Indians. Sumter camped here in July 1780, Cornwallis was here in 1780, and President Jefferson Davis crossed on April 27, 1865, enroute west to reorganize the Confederacy.