Photographs of the capitals are online in the collection Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865 and can be retrieved by searching on Richmond and Washington DC . The armies of the American Civil War made use of the railroad lines, a relatively new industrial development, transporting troops, ammunition, and other supplies. Because trains had set tracks and could only travel to certain destinations, railroads had a great impact on the course and outcome of the war. Students can search on railroad in Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865 to see images of trains used in the war. Some photographs show destroyed rail lines.
Students can search the collection on railroad to see where rail lines traveled.
They can determine which parts of the country were best served by the railroad at the time of the war. To learn more about railroad mapping and how the Civil War increased mapping of the rail lines, students can browse the collection Railroad Maps, 1828-1900 using the Title Index . The use of ships for battle, blockade, and transport was a major factor in the course of the Civil War. For example, at the start of the war, President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Blockade against Southern ports. Throughout the war this blockade limited the ability of the South to stay well-supplied in its war against the industrialized North.