Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-04-21

miles of the Mobile and Ohio Road on the prairies,
destroying all cuverts warehouses; and water stations
They also tore up the track at intervals and bent tie
rails Ga this part of the road there is 20 timber or
if any could be obtained it could not be hauled except
by railroads, and, consequently, it necessary to
finish the work below before anything could he dore
towards repairing it. And, to make the matter worse
our O0n fares burned ;he bridge Tibbee River
one OF the heaviest on the road and fresht occurred
two days after the rebuilding of the bridge was COM
menced, which has delayed operations full week
However, the whole work will be completed, notwith
standing these delays and mishaps, 10 six weeks from
the day the sru k in the fret tree. Our in
ormant says that the people out there consider rapid
work repairing 50 miles of railroad which. accord
! ing to General SHERMAN, the destruction was very
complete" in six weeks, and agree with them
The passeng trains running with as mach regu-
larty over Cen SHERMAN's work IS they did before
his appearance
highly intelligent and well informed subscriber >,
residDg in the Southwest, recent letter, private
one abiding brief ed rial paragrap ph in the Jour-
nal making reference to the rapidity with which the
railroads destroyed by SHERMAN had been rebuilt,
says
You 1ight-"it is easer talking about destroying
railroads than is doing it,, those who coao and
ment will eLd its iLnence in procuring the necessary Ia
Dor to repair them proUded hooCeUer that the govern
nent will either issue order or pass law which will
prevent forces by making ii deGth pendly-or
nothEg else will stop itfrom burning bridges and
and destroying railroad property, eUery time they gel
scared which is FREQUENTLY in ths Southwestern
Department (always excepting Gen. FoRREsTs commard)
To such extent has this been carried that nearly all the
rolling stock of every road Vest of the Tombgby River
has been destroyed by forces and under cir
cumsances could the enemy have used it if captured. In
the recent raid, Gen. S. D. LEE sent detail the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad to destroy all 0oSe cars and break
The anges of chee and they destroyed 80 along
me road 1chere the enemy a0ent. Gen. CHALMERS
also ordered the burning of of the heaviest bridges
over stream which could have been easily fordad within
$50 yards of the BRIDGE and which, in Judgment could
not have been used by tee enemy il there had been the
slightest efJrt made prevent them from crossing it
You have idea of the insanity which to pos
sess the minds of subordinate Generals and officers to
burn and destroy property the moment the approach of
Yankee force Gen. RUGGLEs burned pub
lie road bridge Columbus Mississippi, i'll the recent
raid where there was only one foot aud half of
water in the stream, and lady rode across the
stream half hour afterwards He had the fuel collected
and placed the fine railroad bridge Columbus, when
to prevent the enemy using If tdsod that acaS possible
it was only necessary to open the draa1, which swung
around and rested the Columbus shore and would haze
left opening Of 90 feet and the bridge 60 feet high
The insane disposition, for call it by mider
pOssess
and Military officer in the State of Mississippi where the
enemy appeared.
And this has been thu In the Southwest since
the beg inning of the At h3 evacuation of Columbus
KY, the bridges burned the railroads. tOe the
enemy did not haUe engine 90iin his d0nlin
ions Of the gudge, that e00td these roads.
Again, at Corinth, the bridges burned tn, Mem
phs and Charleston, and the Mobile and Ohio Railroads.
when the enem2 had rolling stock, and % trains
loaded with government stores and containing upwards
hundred O00) cars, and five millions vo-h of pro-
pey had to be destroyed because the bridges the for
road lad been burned too Ia the first GRIERsoN
the cavalry got scared and in their fight stopped
nothing except to burn the teseWork and bridges
the Mobile and Ohio Railroad have cars
gnes, railroad property destroyed by car o0n forces
that the folly of made apparent within ten days.
and in majority of the lalroad Companies were
asked repair it. General BEAURKGARD the folly of
this while in command out here and, sensible he
is, among the first orders issued by him assuming
mand at Charleston prevent the destruction of
Railroad property by forces. wish the other Gene
rails had an eq1al amount of brans.''
These remarks are pretty sharp. Perhaps their
tone is rather too much 80, but fear there is too
much occasion for them They certainly show up an |
abuse which cries aloud for ,rection.