Encountering the U.S. Civil War on a smaller, human scale makes the conflict more approachable, vivid, and real. Rivers Bridge State Historic Site (South Carolina) offers a glimpse of the Civil War on such a scale. The small area allows visitors to comprehend the entire battlefield, its tactics, and to see how veteran troops near the end of the war sought to avoid high casualties. The relatively few casualties, most identified through historical research, are people, not numbers, and they convey the true human tragedy of this battle and all of the Civil War battles. This lesson plan, based on the National Register of Historic Places file for Rivers Bridge can be used in teaching U.S. history, social studies, or geography units on the Civil War or the South. The lesson cites educational objectives and materials needed. It is divided into eight sections: (1) "About This Lesson"; (2) "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; (3) "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; (4) "Locating the Site: Maps" (Battlefield at Rivers Bridge); (5) "Determining the Facts: Readings" (Surviving on the Battlefield, 1965; Official Reports; Soldiers' Accounts); (6) "Visual Evidence: Images" (Sherman's March through South Carolina; Rivers Bridge Battlefield; Pvt. Edgar W. Cherry, 1865; Edgar W. Cherry, ca. 1890; Confederate Monument (front); Confederate Monument (rear)); (7) "Putting It All Together: Activities" (Your Account of a Civil War Battle; Following the Local Boys through the War; Memories of War; Monuments); and (8) "Supplementary Resources." (BT)