Learn why railroads were so important during the American Civil War
Both Union and Confederate forces needed trains to move and supply troops during the American Civil War, which meant that railroads determined the outcomes of some battles.
© Civil War Trust (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
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Transcript
We are here at the historic Danville rail bridge that connected Richmond and Danville during the Civil War. This bridge was built in 1848, coming around the same time that most railroads were coming into popularity in the United States.
Railroads allowed the transportation of goods over very long distances without having to worry about horse flesh, or mules, or anything like that. You could load a train with lots of cargo and send it a very long way. As such, they became vital, strategic arteries for the armies of the Civil War. The armies would move along the railroads, they would be supplied by railroad, and the capture of railroad hubs, like here in Danville, was a top strategic priority for both sides during the war.
Sometimes railroads had direct effect on battles, such as the First Battle of Bull Run in which about half of the Confederate army was moved by a railroad at the last minute to support their comrades on the field and win the battle.
Now, there were other complications. The North and the South used slightly different rail systems. The gauges between the ties were slightly different, and there was even variation in both regions on top of that.
The rail agents would have to coordinate with the top brass of both armies to make sure that they had enough cars, enough engines, and enough track, to get soldiers and supplies from place to place. Railcars at the time-- rail engines could only pull at about 20 miles per hour. They were still not terribly fast means of transportation, and they would often get overcrowded by the demands of an army.
There are many descriptions of soldiers riding on top of the train cars while they're on campaign because there's no more room in the cars themselves, of soldiers tearing the sidings off of train cars, so that they can get some ventilation, because they're put in places that are normally reserved for wheat or pigs.
There's some great stories of Southern soldiers riding on top of railcars and shouting at all the women as they went by and the men in the cars below also shouting at them, because a good Rebel can't hear somebody hallelujahing without hallelujahing themselves.
If you want to study the Civil War, you have to be aware of the railroads. The strategic map of the battles of the Civil War will be along the rail arteries of the country.
Railroads allowed the transportation of goods over very long distances without having to worry about horse flesh, or mules, or anything like that. You could load a train with lots of cargo and send it a very long way. As such, they became vital, strategic arteries for the armies of the Civil War. The armies would move along the railroads, they would be supplied by railroad, and the capture of railroad hubs, like here in Danville, was a top strategic priority for both sides during the war.
Sometimes railroads had direct effect on battles, such as the First Battle of Bull Run in which about half of the Confederate army was moved by a railroad at the last minute to support their comrades on the field and win the battle.
Now, there were other complications. The North and the South used slightly different rail systems. The gauges between the ties were slightly different, and there was even variation in both regions on top of that.
The rail agents would have to coordinate with the top brass of both armies to make sure that they had enough cars, enough engines, and enough track, to get soldiers and supplies from place to place. Railcars at the time-- rail engines could only pull at about 20 miles per hour. They were still not terribly fast means of transportation, and they would often get overcrowded by the demands of an army.
There are many descriptions of soldiers riding on top of the train cars while they're on campaign because there's no more room in the cars themselves, of soldiers tearing the sidings off of train cars, so that they can get some ventilation, because they're put in places that are normally reserved for wheat or pigs.
There's some great stories of Southern soldiers riding on top of railcars and shouting at all the women as they went by and the men in the cars below also shouting at them, because a good Rebel can't hear somebody hallelujahing without hallelujahing themselves.
If you want to study the Civil War, you have to be aware of the railroads. The strategic map of the battles of the Civil War will be along the rail arteries of the country.
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