NP, RD 1/5/1865

From the Richmond Dispatch
 
January 5, 1865
 
   The Sentinel of yesterday makes certain suggestions with regard to the railroads south of us, to which we invite the earnest attention of the authorities. It proposes to put in the link between Columbia and Augusta, which is only seventy-five miles. The railroad now runs from Augusta to Aiken's, almost in a direct line to Columbia. Taking Aiken's as a point of departure, Columbia and Augusta might be joined by a railroad sixty miles long. At Branchville, on the Wilmington and Augusta line, the road deflects to the coast. A line from Kingsville to Augusta would be much safer. These roads completed, from Columbia there would be a choice of roads, either by Wilmington or by Charlotte and Danville, on the upper route. Higher up, Abbeville is in railroad connection with Columbia, and Athens (which is opposite to it, in Georgia,) is in connection with the Augusta and Atlanta railroad. The Sentinel says these points are not more than sixty-five miles apart.
   There is no possibility of exaggerating the importance of these connections. The only question is with regard to the possibility of obtaining the material for the work. The Sentinel gets over this difficulty. Large portions of the railroads leading to Savannah are now useless to us. If left as they are, they will become useful to the enemy. It is surely good policy to dismantle them at once, and make use of them in constructing roads for our own purposes. We hope the attention of the authorities will be turned to this subject.

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