| {Union
correspondence from May 1, 1865 to the End. Though post-war and
written by Union officers, there are many facts that assist in
understanding the Confederate railroads. Note that track laid,
siding's length, type of bridges constructed, etc. are by the Union
Army and do not necessarily represent what the Confederate railroads
had at the same location.} |
| |
| Office Director and General Manager
Military Railroads United States |
| Washington, D. C., May 26, 1866 |
| |
| Bvt. Maj. Gen. M. C. Meigs |
| Quartermaster-General U. S. Army |
| Washington, D. C. |
| |
| General, |
| I have the honor to submit
the following report upon the military railroads of the United
States under my charge during the war: |
| ***** |
| In March, 1862,
Major-General McClellan instructed me to have a line examined for a
railroad from Winchester -- the terminus of the Harper's Ferry and
Winchester Railroad {Winchester & Potomac
RR} to Strasburg, a station of the
Manassas Gap Railroad, in the Shenandoah Valley, and to make an
estimate of the cost. This was completed early in April, but the
railroad was not built. March 14, 1862, General McClellan instructed
me to have five locomotives and eighty cars loaded upon vessels in
the harbor of Baltimore and held subject to his orders with a view
to using them in his contemplated Peninsular campaign. They were
purchased from Northern railroad companies, loaded as directed, and
remained on the vessels until early in May, when they were sent to
White House, Va., and placed upon the Richmond & York River
Railroad. Another engine was added in June to the number, and all
employed in transporting supplies between White House and the front,
which, toward the close of June, was twenty miles from White House
and four miles from Richmond. Upon the withdrawal of the Army of the
Potomac to Harrison's Landing, June 28, all the rolling-stock was
destroyed or damaged as far as practicable to prevent it from
falling into the hands of the enemy. |
| Near the close of March,
1862, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad was opened to Manassas
Junction, twenty-six miles from Alexandria, and in April to
Warrenton Junction, thirty-nine miles. In August, after relaying six
miles of track and bridging Rappahannock River, the road was open to
Culpeper, sixty-one miles, which at the time was the main depot of
supplies for the Army of Virginia. A few trains were run to the
Rapidan River, eighty miles. Upon the retreat of General Pope in the
last days of August the road was entirely abandoned, with the loss
of 7 locomotives and 295 cars. In November it was reopened for a few
days to Bealeton, forty-six miles, and to the town of Warrenton, to
supply the Army of the Potomac on its march from Antietam to
Fredericksburg. |
| The Manassas Gap Railroad
was opened early in April, 1862, to Strasburg, sixty-one miles from
Manassas and eighty-seven miles from Alexandria. It was operated
only a short time to Strasburg, but continued in use to Front Royal,
fifty-one miles from Manassas, through May and part of June, when it
was abandoned. In November, 1862, trains were run over it to Front
Royal for a few days with supplies for General McClellan's army. |
| The Alexandria, Loudoun
& Hampshire Railroad was opened in the spring of 1862 to Vienna,
fifteen miles from Alexandria, and used for transporting supplies to
the fortifications south of Washington and the camps along its line.
During the first two weeks of September it was the principal line of
supply for the Army of the Potomac when encamped near Washington
after the second battle of Bull Run and previous to the Antietam
campaign. |
| These four railroads
comprise all that were operated as military lines from Alexandria
and Washington. They were subsequently used more or less at various
times, as will be mentioned hereafter, and continued to play an
important part in the operations of the Army of the Potomac. |
| In April, the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad was opened from Aquia Creek to
Fredericksburg, fifteen miles, and operated to supply the forces
stationed at Fredericksburg. The road was abandoned September 7,
with the loss of one engine, fifty-seven cars, and a small quantity
of material. |
| On the 18th of November
repairs were again commenced, and the road was opened on the 28th to
Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg, and was used to supply the Army
of the Potomac until June, 1863. A very large amount of work was
required not only to the railroad, but to the wharves at Aquia
Creek, all of which had been burned when this line was abandoned by
our forces. |
| ***** The road continued to
be used without interruption until June, 1863, when it was abandoned
with small loss of material, but the bridges, buildings, and wharves
were soon afterward burned by the enemy. |
| The eastern portion of the
Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad was taken in charge July 22, 1862,
and the gauge at once changed from five feet to four feet eight and
one-half inches for forty-four miles. At Suffolk, twenty-three miles
from Norfolk, this line crosses the Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad
running from Portsmouth, opposite Norfolk. A connecting track was
laid between the two roads in August, 1862, and these lines were
afterward operated together. |
| In May, 1863, about fifteen
miles of track was taken up on the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad
west of Suffolk by order of Major-General Dix, and about the same
length on the Seaboard & Roanoke. The two roads were afterward
operated to Suffolk until the close of the war, for local military
purposes, and were not identified with any of the great military
operations or campaigns. ***** |
| In April, 1863, the Orange
& Alexandria Railroad was opened to Bealeton and used a few days
to supply a force on the Rappahannock. The portion south of Bull Run
was then abandoned, and about the 15th of June the whole road
outside the defenses of Washington was evacuated. |
| July 18 repairs were
recommenced and continued till the road was opened to Culpeper. Not
having been much damaged by the enemy, the amount of work, necessary
to put it in running order was small. It was used until the 1st of
October to supply the army of General Made after its return to
Virginia from the Gettysburg campaign. |
| Early in October it was
again abandoned south of Bull Run, and was thoroughly destroyed by
the enemy from Manassas junction nearly to Brandy Station, about
twenty-two miles. Repairs were commenced October 23, and the damaged
road opened October 30 to Warrenton Junction, eleven miles, and to
Culpeper November 16, to which point it was operated during the
winter and until the final advance under Lieutenant-General Grant of
the Army of the Potomac May 4, 1864, when it was abandoned beyond
Burke's Station, fourteen miles from Alexandria. |
| Rappahannock River bridge,
625 feet long and 35 feet high, was rebuilt in nineteen working
hours. The Army of the Potomac remained in winter quarters on the
south side of the Rappahannock and received all its supplies for men
and animals during the winter and spring over this single-track
road. |
| The Manassas Gap Railroad
was reopened to White Plains, twenty-three miles from Manassas, in
August, 1863, and used for a few days to deliver supplies for
General Meade's army on the march from Gettysburg to Culpeper. |
| ***** |
| As the war progressed the
nature, capacity, and value of railroads were better understood on
both sides, and more systematic and determined efforts were made by
the enemy against the lines used for transporting supplies to our
armies. The destruction of track and bridges was greater each
subsequent time the roads passed within their military lines, and it
became apparent that extraordinary preparations must be made to meet
it. Early in 1863 a small construction corps was formed, consisting
of about 300 men, in which was the beginning of an organization
afterward numbering in the East and West nearly 10,000. ***** |
| With the opening of the
campaign in Virginia in May, 1864, under Lieutenant-General Grant,
the Alexandria railroads ceased to bear any important part. The
Orange & Alexandria line was opened to Rappahannock River, fifty
miles, between September 28 and October 2, 1864, but at once
abandoned back to Manassas. It was operated to that station until
November 10, when it was abandoned back to Fairfax, sixteen miles
from Alexandria. It was operated for that distance until the close
of the war, ***** |
| The Manassas Gap Railroad
was opened from Manassas to Piedmont, thirty-four miles, between
October 3 and 11, and operated until October 27, 1864. Between that
date and November 10 the rails were taken up between the above-named
stations and carried to Alexandria. |
| On the 9th of May, 1864,
repairs were again commenced on the railroad at Aquia Creek, and it
was opened to Falmouth, fourteen miles, May 17. Potomac Creek
bridge, seven miles from Aquia, 414 feet long and 82 feet high, was
built ready for trains to pass in forty working hours. The road was
operated until May 22 principally for removing the wounded of the
battles at Spotsylvania Court-House. On that day it was abandoned
and not afterward used as a military line. |
| The Richmond & York
River Railroad was opened about the 1st of June from White House to
Dispatch, fourteen miles, and operated until June 10, when it was
finally abandoned, the track taken up by order of Lieutenant-General
Grant, and the materials removed to Alexandria. |
| Rolling-stock for the Aquia
Creek and York River Railroad was sent from Alexandria on barges
prepared with tracks for the purpose and taken away in the same
manner, without loss or injury, when the roads were abandoned. |
| Near the close of June,
1864, the City Point and Petersburg Railroad {the
eastern end of the South Side RR} was
occupied to Pitkin Station, eight miles from City Point. ***** |
| The Winchester & Potomac
Railroad was repaired from Harper's Ferry to Halltown, six miles,
between August 14 and 19, 1864; to Stephenson's, twenty-eight miles,
between November 2 and 24, and was used to supply the army of
General Sheridan, operating in the Valley of Virginia. The iron used
in the reconstruction of this line was principally that taken from
the Manassas Gap Railroad. The bridges were all rebuilt. ***** |
|
Locomotive engines provided and lost |
| Year |
Procured |
Lost |
| Purchased |
Built |
Captured |
Total |
Lost in service or transit |
| 1862 |
48 |
1 |
5 |
54 |
2 * |
| 1863 |
18 |
|
|
18 |
|
| 1864 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1865 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total |
66 |
1 |
5 |
72 |
2 * |
|
* The number Lost should
be 12, not 2 -- 6 on the Peninsula, 5 at 2nd Manassas and 1 at
Fredericksburg |
|
| |
|
Cars provided and lost |
| Year |
Procured |
Lost |
| Purchased |
Built |
Captured |
Total |
Lost in service or transit |
| 1862 |
503 |
|
13 |
516 |
458 |
| 1863 |
704 |
|
|
704 |
15 |
| 1864 |
68 |
30 |
|
98 |
57 |
| 1865 |
415 |
|
|
415 |
20 |
| Total |
1,690 |
30 |
13 |
1,733 |
550 |
|
| ***** |
| |
|
Railroads in Western Tennessee and Kentucky |
| ***** |
| No part of the road was in
operation from Memphis when I took charge, but during the years 1864
and 1865 the western portion of the Memphis & Charleston
Railroad and a part of the Mississippi Central were operated as
follows: |
| Date |
How operated |
Length |
| 1864 |
|
Miles |
| Feb. 26 |
Opened to Germantown |
15 |
| Mar. 26 |
Abandoned back to within five miles of
Memphis |
|
| June 11 |
Opened to White's Station |
10 |
| 29 |
Opened to Grand Junction |
52 |
| Aug. 2 |
Opened to Holly Springs |
75 |
| 6 |
Opened to Tallahatchie River |
100 |
| 18 |
Abandoned to Grand Junction |
52 |
| 23 |
Reopened to Tallahatchie River |
100 |
| 24 |
Abandoned to Grand Junction |
52 |
| Sept. 8 |
Abandoned to White's Station |
10 |
| Oct. 15 |
Abandoned entirely |
|
| Dec. 20 |
Opened to Collierville |
24 |
|
1865 |
|
|
| Jan. 1 |
Abandoned entirely |
|
| Feb. 28 |
Opened to Germantown |
15 |
| Mar. 4 |
Abandoned entirely |
|
| 24 |
Opened to Collierville |
24 |
| Apr. 2 |
Opened to La Fayette |
32 |
| May 13 |
Opened to Moscow |
39 |
| 14 |
Opened to La Grange |
49 |
| 20 |
Opened to Grand Junction |
52 |
|
| Each time it was abandoned
it was badly damaged by the enemy -- bridges, trestles, and cattle
guards were burned and miles of track torn up. |
| At Columbus, Ky., I found
the Mobile & Ohio Railroad open to Union City, Twenty-six miles.
It was abandoned about the 1st of May, 1864, at the time of
Forrest's raid upon Union City, and not afterward used, except in
the immediate vicinity of Columbus, until May, 1865. ***** |
| |
|
Arkansas |
| The Memphis & Little
Rock Railroad between Devall's Bluff and Little Rock, forty-nine
miles, was the only line operated in this state. It did not come
under my control until May 1, 1865. It was then in very bad
condition, in consequence of the nature of the soil and neglect or
want of skill in keeping up the necessary repairs. |
| |
|
Locomotive engines provided and lost |
| Year |
Locomotives
procured |
Lost |
| Purchased |
Captured |
Total |
Lost in service or transit |
| 1862 |
18 |
35 |
53 |
|
| 1863 |
20 |
14 |
34 |
|
| 1864 |
154 |
17 |
171 |
2 |
| 1865 |
|
|
|
|
| Total |
194 |
66 |
260 |
2 |
|
| |
|
Cars procured and lost |
| Year |
Cars procured |
Lost |
| Purchased |
Captured |
Total |
Lost in service or transit |
| On hand February 1, 1864 |
|
|
755 |
|
| 1864 |
1,081 |
|
1,081 |
160 |
| 1865 |
1,522 |
25 |
1,547 |
243 |
| Total |
2,603 |
25 |
3,383 |
403 |
|
| |
| ***** |
|
North Carolina and Atlantic Coast |
| ***** |
| Eleven miles of the Savannah
& Gulf Railroad were opened and operated with rolling-stock
captured at Savannah for local military purposes and to supply the
citizens of the town with fuel. The tracks and buildings of the
Georgia Central Railroad within the city limits also were used. Five
serviceable and 9 unserviceable locomotives and 213 cars, about
one-half of them damaged and unfit for service, were captured at
Savannah. ***** |
| |
|
Cars provided and lost |
| Year |
Cars procured |
Lost |
| Purchased |
Captured |
Total |
Lost in service or transit |
| 1862 |
100 |
3 |
103 |
20 |
| 1863 |
|
|
|
38 |
| 1864 |
|
|
|
|
| 1865 |
139 |
180 |
319 |
1 |
| Total |
239 |
183 |
422 |
59 |
|
| ***** |
| I have the honor to be, very
respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| D. C. McCallum |
| Brevet Brigadier-General, Director and
General Manager U. S. Military Railroads |
|