The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-04-02
Railways In the Recent War Of the
Rebellion. JED

The reports OF General Parsons, Chief
of rail and river transportation for the
United States, show that he considered the
application of steam to transport had
modified the art of war as much as the
pursuits Of peace; and be has stated, as
the result of his experience, that !" it is
now practicable, on twenty flour hours
notice, to embark by railway at Boston or
Baltimore, larger army than that with
which Napoleon won some of his most
decisive victories, and landing it within
three days at Cairo, ], 200 miles distant,
there embark 1t on transports, and within
four days more time disembark it at New
Orleans, 1000 miles further" In January,
1865, in the depth of a severe winter, the
S3d army CORPS was wanted for General
Grants operat ions before Richmond. At
Ger four or five days notice, this force,
consisting of 10000 men, with all its
started from the Tennessee river, and
moved nearly 1,4O0 miles in an average
time not exceeding eleven days. The dis
lance was about equally divided between
water and railway transport, along rivers
DISTRACTED by fog and ice, and over noun
tains during violent snow storms, with
various Interruptions, including thirty
hours detention from fog in tie river, and
at one point the unexpected delay of
transferring the troops.to boats of a small
er class, the railroad, meanwhile, being in
the bad condition unavoidable in the severe
winters of our climate Within seventeen
days from the embarkation of the first
troops on the Tennessee, Gen. Parsons had
the satisfaction of seeing the army quietly
encamped on the banks of the Potomac,
as fresh as when they started from Ten
nessee. sH
During the war,-611 miles of railway in
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, 293
miles in North Carolina and 1901 miles
in the military division of the Mississippi,
giving total of z, 105 miles, were more or
less occupied by the United States authori-
ties as military railways, under the direc-
tion Of General McC allum, the government
staff carrying on the working of these
lines, and repairs of works and rolling
stock, and to some extent the rolling of
rails and the construction OF new lines.
At an early period number of workmen,
under competent engineers and forcmen,
were formed into construction CORPS"
and stationed in detachments along any
railway exposed to hostile attack, and
stores were established at intervals to fur
nish the necessary supplies of rails, fit
tings, sleepers, and bridge timber
This corps became st last very expert
enced in the work Of repairing damage.
General McCallum's reports state that the
Rappahannock river bridge, 625 feet long
and IS feet high, was rebuilt in nineteen
working hours that Potomac creek bridge,
414 feet long and 50 feet high, was built in
forty working hours that Chattahooche
bridge, 7S0 feet and 90 feet high, was COM
pleted in four and half days; that be-
tween Tunnel Hill and Resaca twenty-five
miles of permanent way and $50 feet of
bridges were constructed in seven and
half days; and near Big Shanty, thirty
five and half miles of permanent way
and 455 feet Of bridges in thirteen days.
The last of these remarkable operations
took place on the line by which General
Sherman was connected with his base, in
his advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta
and that the Military Railway Department,
almost entirely through hostile country,
should have kept pace with the march of
Gen. Sherman, constructing and recon
structing the road in his rear, and ulti-
mately have maintained the supplies of an
army Of 100000 men and 10000 animals
from base $50 miles distant, along
single line, exposed at all times to the
attacks of an active and resolute enemy,
is indeed wonderful example of fore
thought, energy, patience, and watchful-
ness.