| From the Raleigh Register |
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| November 8, 1862 |
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| Destroying the Railroad |
| The Lynchburg Republican publishes
a letter from Jackson's army, from which we extract the following. The
letter is dated Bunker Hill, Oct. 23: |
| *** Yesterday I took a ride to see the
destruction done by our troops to the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. I
left our camp near Martinsburg early in the morning, expecting to go
about five or six miles, but kept following the numerous columns of
smoke encircling the atmosphere, until I had gone about fifteen miles,
and yet, I could see smoke arising from the burning timbers along the
road as far as the eye could reach. Falling in with one of Gen.
Jackson's aids, I learned that my brigade had been ordered back to
this place, they having completed their work of destruction at
Martinsburg. I turned my course in this direction, where I arrived at
dark, and spent the night with Lieut. Warwick, of the Wise Troop. I am
now at General Jackson's headquarters, where I learn that the road was
destroyed on yesterday to within three miles of Harper's Ferry, the
Yankee fastness. About twenty-five or thirty miles of the road has
been destroyed and also many valuable buildings belonging to the
company. The manner of destroying a railroad is thus: The track is
torn up and the cross ties piled up, then the iron rails are laid
across the ties and fire communicated to the whole. When the iron
becomes hot it falls at both ends and bends in the shape of the letter
V. Thus renders the iron worthless unless it it taken to the foundry
and worked over. |
| {Jackson controlled this area from
about September 3 to about November 20. The destruction mentioned was
probably done with the knowledge that he would shortly have to fall
back to protect Richmond. I have found no information regarding any
effort to save and remove any railroad material during this time.
There was certainly enough time to have removed a great quantity of
iron and other material. This event falls between the death of Maj.
Ashe and the appointment of Col. Wadley as railroad superintendents.
Captain Sharp was running the Locomotive Shop in Raleigh. There is no
indication the Quartermaster Department or Engineer Bureau thought
about saving the material, much less took any action.} |
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