The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-18
RAILWAYS AND WARFARE.


Brevet BrIgadier-Gcneral d. 9. Mccall
Ium, Director and General Manager
from 1864 to 1866.
In February, 1862, when General McCallum
was appointed by General Order OF the War De-
partment Military Director and Superintendent
of Railroads in the United States, with autho-
rity to enter upon, take possession OF, hold and
use all railroads, engines, cars, locomotives,
equipments, appendages, and appurtenances
that may be required for the transport OF troops,
arms, ammunition, and military supplies"
there were Just seven miles of railroad, from
Washington to Alexandria, in the possession OF
the United States Government. Before General
McCallum closed his labors he had seized over
Two thousand miles of track, employed at one
time twenty-five thousand men, built twenty
six miles of temporary and permanent bridges,
laid and relaid six hundred and forty-one miles
of track and disbursed more than fortytwo
millions of dollars. On General McCallum's
assumption of his duties, Mr.. Stanton, with that
imperativeness which rendered him so efficient
War Secretary in war times, gave him verbally
this Napoleonic order:-"1 shall expect you to
have on hand, al all times, the necessary men
and materials to enable you to comply promptly
with any order given-nor must there be any
ia lure"
To comply with these exactiug requirements
General McCallum organized transportation
corps TO control the movements of trains, and
maintain the rolling stock, and a construction
corps to lay, tear up, or repair railroad tracks,
build bridges, and burn them IL necessary. In
the Department of the Mississippi his construc-
tion corps, five thousand strong, was organized
into six divisions, each distinct body in itself,
provided with all necessary tools, camp equip
age, and field transportation, and ready to move
anywhere on emergency; his transportation
corps numbered twelve thousand men. Some
ntf hn oh n "a n
partment deserve TO rank with the most re-
maIkable engineering teats of modern times.
The wonderful bridge over the Chattahoochee,
seven hundred and eight feet long and ninety
two feet high, was built by the construction
corps in four and half days. the bridge over
the Potomac creek, at Aqua four hundred and
fourteen feet long and eighty-two feet high, was
built ready for trans to pass in forty working
hours.
In their leisure time this corps rebuilt the
Chattanooga rolling mills, which turned out in
few months nearly tour thousand tons of rail-
road iron for the Government, and we're sold at
the end of the war for hundred and seventy
five thousand dollars. With justidable pride
General McCallum classes the attempt to supply
cherman's army OF hundred thousand men,
and sixty thousand horses and mules, from
base three hundred and sixty miles distant
over one line OF single track, rs one of the
boldest ideas OF the war. Whole corps, and even
armies, we're frequently transported hundreds
of miles on the mere verbal orders of their com.
manders. In 1865 the 4th Army Corps were
transported from East Tennessee to Nashville a
distance of three hundred and sixty miles, with
out delay or difliculty-this herculean task re-
quiling nearly fifteen hundred cars.
Nor were the services thus rendered unat-
tended with danger. Guerillas and raiding par
ties dogged the footsteps of the Construction
Corps wherever they went. In the first six
months Of 1865 one wreckng train picked up
and brought into Nashville sixteen wrecked
locomotives and nearly three hundred carloads
of wheels and bridge iron, the destructive handi-
work OF Rebel raiders. Hood was a thorn in
McCallum's side; but the damage he did was
repaired with wonderful celeIity. In October,
| 1864 Hood passing found Sherman's army,
| tore up thrty-hve miles of track and burned
| four hundred and fifty feet OF bridges between
| Chattanooga and Atlanta. The damage was
| made good and the line put in working order
! again in thirteen days. Between Tunnel Hill
| and Resaca twenty-five miles of track and two
| hundred and thirty feet of brideing were recon-
| structed in seven days and half.
General McCallum's report contains many
other facts OF equal interest with the foregoing.
] Put into a more attractive and connected
4 shape il would form an important contribution
! to the history OF the Great Rebellion. Were
| General McCallum an Englishman he would be
| made a baIonet, as Sir Morton Peto was fol-
similar services. Were he a Frenchman, the
ribbon of the Legion OF Honor would unques
| tiCnaby decorate his breast. AS q citizen Of
| the great republic, he rests content with brevet
| Blipadier (IeneralShip,