Vicksburg, Shreveport & Texas

The road was chartered in 1853 to link northeast Texas to the Mississippi River, through Shreveport, without relying on the uncertain river levels of the Red River. By January 1861, the line was in operation the 75 miles from Vicksburg to Monroe, Louisiana; an additional 5 miles had been built west from Shreveport and the grading to the Texas line completed. 

In early 1862, the Confederate army seized the road because of the Union sympathies of its directors. Since Monroe was a major quartermaster post for the Trans-Mississippi Confederates, the road was heavily used in their supply until Union operations caused serviceable rolling stock and other machinery to be dismantled and hauled to Shreveport in August 1863. Eventually, the entire line east of Monroe was destroyed, with usable iron rails being removed to support other Union railroads. The road west of Shreveport may have been completed to Marshall, Tx., with rails from the Southern Pacific RR, in 1864.

In September 1862, the line west of Shreveport, the locomotive Ben Johnson, and several cars were leased to the Southern Pacific Railroad for an extended period. In March, 1865 it was returned to Shreveport.

Black's Number 98 (map) (map, eastern) (map, western) (map, Shreveport)
Track 80 miles of 5 foot 6 inch gauge of unknown type and weights of 48#, 56#, and a little 64#
Locomotives 6; 6 names
Cars 67
Stations 19
Officers All 1861
Passengers 1861
Annual Reports
3-x-61 Statement of Financial Condition
9-1-61 President
9-1-61 Superintendent
Significant Documents
NA, VS&T 1-1-61
NP, DH 1-9A-61
NP, SW 1-31-61
NA, VS&T 2-12-61
NP, NODC 3-23-61
NP, GTN 4-2-61
NP, SW 4-3-61
B9, DEB 4-x-61
NP, GCGW 5-14B-61
NP, DH 5-29-61
NP, STD 7-20-61
NP, NODC 8-21-61
NP, SN 9-13-61
NP, SN 9-19-61
NP, NODC 10-12-61
NA, QM 10-23A-61
NA, QM 10-23C-61
NP, SW 10-23-61
MISC, VST 11-8-61
NP, SN 11-18-61
NP, SN 11-18A-61
NP, RD 11-19B-61
NP, SN 11-21-61
NA, QMR 11-22-61
NP, NODC 11-25-61
NP, VC 11-25B-61
NP, DH 11-27-61
NA, QM 11-29-61
NP, VC 12-9-61
NP, SW 4-16-62
NP, SSW 6-25-62
NA, QM 6-30-62
NP, MAP 7-12-62
NP, SN 7-22-62
NP, HT 8-6-62
NP, MAP 11-14-62
NA, DMEL 12-30-62
NP, VW 12-30C-62
NP, RD 12-31A-62
NP, VW 1-1A-63
NP, DH 1-21-63
NP, VW 2-4-63
NP, VW 2-4A-63
B21, VS&T 2-11-63
ORN Series 2, Vol. 1, Page 754
B21, VS&T 2-28-63
OR Series 1, Vol. 26, Part 2, Page 29
OR Series 1, Vol. 26, Part 2, Page 30
NA, DTM 6-12-63
NA, VS&T 8-29-63
NA, DTM 11-3-63
NA, DTM 12-23-63
NA, DWLA 1-13-64
OR Series 1, Vol. 34, Part 2, Page 1005
NA, DTM 3-4-64
NP, RD 4-22-64
NP, SN 5-31-64
OR Series 1, Vol. 34, Part 4, Page 305
NP, SN 4-8-65
NP, SW 9-6-65
NP, SW 10-18-65

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