The national Republican., 1866-10-20
SATURDAY x6RsINa,.a:ocroBRR 20, 1866.
RAILnOADN ron MILITARY USES.

nSAHnxSVADD y VH N 4 LII h1 ObEDs
One Of the most extraordinary develop
ments Of ingenuity, skill and energy mani
tested by the Union armies during the war was
witnessed in the management and manipula-
ton Of railroads for military purposes. 1t is
on absolute truth that tracks were laid in
North Carolina on some occasions as fast as
the army could march with its baggage and
supply trains. The vast Importance OF this
auxiliary to the ordinary means OF transpor-
tation on some Of our movements in the
South can hardly be estimated by the "home
guards" none but Quartermaster and Com
missary can realize them to the fullest ex-
tent Gen. McCALLUM, who superintended
the United States military railroads during
the war, has just made report which shows
the important part his department played in
crushing tho rebellion. In February, 1862,
he was appointed Superintendent Of the
United States military railways, when these
railways consisted Of but seven miles, con-
Meeting Washington with Alexandria, and
the sole working materials placed in his
hands were Secretary SrASroS's verbal order,
times, the necessary men and materials to
enable you to comply promptly with any
odrre given-nor must there be any failure. v
General MCCALLux set to work. and acting
under this instruction, before he closed his
labors had seized over two thousand miles o
track, employed OF one time twenty-five
thousand men, built twenty.six miles Of tenn
porary or permanent bridges, laid and relaid
six hundred and forty one miles Of track, and
disbursed more than forty-two millions o.
dollars. Some Of his achievements wert
among the most remarkable engineering feat
Of modern times. A bridge over the Chatta
hoochee, seven hundred and eighty feet lonl
and ninety-two feet high, was built by hi
construction corps in four and half day.
the bridge over Aqua creek, four hundre
and fourteen feet long and eighty-two fec
high, was built ready for trains to pass il
forty working hours. In their leisure tim
this corps rebuilt the Chattanooga rollin
mills, which turned out in few months neal
ly four thousand tons Of railroad iron for th
Government, and were sold at the end Of tn
war for hundred and seventy-fve thousan
dollars. With justifable pride, General Nc
CALLux classes the attempt to Supply SHET
MANS army Of hundred thousand men an
sixty thousand horses and mules from bas
three hundred and sixty miles distant, owe
one line of single track, as one Of the boil
est ideas OF the war. Whole corps, and eve
armies were frequently transported hundre'
of miles on the mere verbal orders Of the
commanders In 1865 the Fourth army corr
were transported from East Tennessee
Nashville, a distance Of three hundred al
sixty miles, without delay or difliculty-th
herculean task requiring nearly fifteen hu
dred cars.
Guerillas and raiding parties dogged Il
footsteps of his men wherever they wen
They tore up his tracks, burned his bridge
destroyed his locomotives and cars; but, q
ways ready, gangs of men repaired the dan
age almost as soon as it was DONE l
SHERMAN's rear, Hoop, on one occasion, tol
up thirty-fve miles Of track and burned fol-
hundred and fifty feet Of bridges betwee
Chattanooga and Atlanta. The damage WI
made good and the line put in working ord
again in thirteen days. Between Tunn
Hill and Resaca twenty-five miles and tv
hundred and thirty feet Of bridging were r
constructed in seven days and half.
In other countries General MoCALLu
would probably be rewarded with distincti
honors for his railroad generalship.