| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| April 19, 1864 |
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| Southern energy |
| It is not only the Yankees who show energy
in building and rebuilding railroads. The great feat claimed by the
Yankees to have been accomplished by Sherman, was the "complete and entire" destruction of the railroads
on his route. The Wilmington
(N C) Journal says: |
| Gen. Sherman's army destroyed the bridges,
culverts, warehouses, water stations and turn-tables on 48 miles of
the Mobile & Ohio railroad, and within this distance tore up 21
miles of the track, on 16 miles of which there was nothing of cross
ties left but the ashes; and the heavy rails of which that road is
built, for the whole distance of 16 miles, were bent in every
conceivable shape. --There were two heavy bridges over rivers nearly as
large as the Neuse at the crossing of the Wilmington & Weldon
railroad, one smaller one, three quarters of a mile of trestle,
besides 43 small or pieces and wooden culverts. He tore up the track
and burned the trestle work (of which there was very little, and no
important bridge) on 9 miles of the Selma
road {the Northeast & Southwest Alabama RR}, which being built with a light rail is more easily straightened
than the heavy rails used on the Mobile & Ohio road. |
| On the Southern (Vicksburg) {of Mississippi RR} road, he tore up about three miles of track, and burned a few
bridges, and but little trestle work. That road is not materially
damaged. |
| Gen. Sherman's great object seemed to be
to destroy the Mobile & Ohio railroad, and Col Fleming, the
Engineer and Superintendent, was equally anxious to repair it in the
shortest possible time. The larger portion of the railroad hands had
fled in every direction on the approach of Gen Sherman's army, and
another part on the appearance of Gens Smith and Grierson. The
difficulties encountered in collecting hands in a country so
completely desolated by the enemy will be easily
understood.--Notwithstanding this an engine
was run over the road Sherman had destroyed in 29½ days after the
work was commenced, or in 33 days after Sherman's army left
Meridian--and four days of the above time was lost by heavy rains —
so that the work was actually accomplished in 25½ working days; and,
in fact, the Mobile & Ohio road was in working order four days
before the Selma road was ready to connect with it. As late as last
week the Southern road was not yet in running order. |
| In addition to the destruction effected by
Sherman's Army Gens Smith and Grierson passed over thirty-two miles of
the Mobile & Ohio road on the prairies, destroying all culverts,
warehouses, and water stations. They also tore up the track at
intervals and bent the rails. On this part of the road there is no
timber, or if any could be obtained it could not be hauled except by
railroads, and consequently it was necessary to finish the work below
before anything could be done towards repairing it. And, to make the
matter worse, our own forces burned the bridge over Tibbie river, one
of the heaviest on the road, and a fresher occurred two days after the
rebuilding of the bridge was commenced, which has delayed operations a
full week. However, the whole work will be completed, notwithstanding
these delays and mishaps, in six weeks from the day the axe was struck
in the first tree. Our informant says that the people out there
consider it rapid work repairing eighty miles of railroad, on which,
according to General Sherman, "the destruction was very
complete," in six weeks, and we agree with them. The passenger
trains are running with as much regularity over Gen. Sherman's work as
they did before his appearance. |
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