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Whiteside
Running Water Bridge Abutments
Highway 156, Whiteside
Directions: I-24 Exit 161. Follow TN 156-E 0.5 miles. Turn right on TN 134 towards Whiteside. Abutments are 2.5 miles on left. Visibility may be limited due to seasons. There are pull-off areas before and after site.
The Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad erected the stone bridge abutments, visible just north of the highway, after the Civil War. The site, however, marks the location of a railroad bridge that was a vital strategic link between Nashville and Chattanooga. The Confederates destroyed the first Running Water Creek bridge in 1863. Federal engineers replaced it with an engineering marvel, an almost 100-foot high wooden trestle bridge, and soon reopened the railroad. Federal troops occupied the area, protecting the bridge for the remainder of the fighting.
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