The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-09-22
Railroads in the Present European War.

There are few who will contest the assertion
that had no railroads existed in the United
States, the recent great struggle between North
and South, if terminated at all in favor of the
Union, would have required many more years
of painful sacrifice. In the war of 18l2-15
with Great Britain, it cost six weeks delay and
many times the present value OF barrel OF
-four to convey such barrel from New York to
Lake Erie. Ia 1876, the numbers OF men,
the quantity of stores and the tremendous par
aphernalia of war, conveyed iii day or two to
scenes of action hundreds of miles distant,
amazed the world. AS early as 1859 the French
had done marvellous things in this way, when
thew assisted the Italians against Austria. In
eighty-six days-that is to say, from the 10th of
Aprii to the 5th of July-they transported 604, :
4S1 men and 1922 horses on their various
railroads, and of these the Lyons road alone
threw 227, $40 men and &c. 1858 horses upon the
Italian frontiers. In 1866, the Prussians in
twenty-one days transported $4,000 men, 55,-
600 horses and $500 wagons, in perfect condi-
ton, over distances varying from 12O to $50
miles, or much less, in the average, than the
space over which their armies now have to be
moved in prosecuting the invasion of France
This immense acceferation of movement by
means of steam and railroads must exercise
the greatest influence upon the result. Time,
money, food, clothing, health and discipline,
are all found to be vastly economized; and as
for casualties, the proportion was found to be
far less than on the old foot marching system.
Infantry and the munitions and equipments are
naturally disembarked more rapidly than caval-
~ and artillery In Germany the cars intend
ed for the transportation of troops, horses and
batteries, are provided with from three to four
axles and six to eight wheels. Each axle is
calculated to bear the weight of from twenty to
twenty-five men or two to three fully equipped
horses. One field piece or one army wagon is
reckoned for every two axles. For the heavier
trains two locomotives are employed, both pull
ing, or one pulling and the other pushing
Such double train, say the military journals
of Prussia, with 38 to 40 cars, will convey a
battalion of 1000 men, along with their ammu-
milton wagons and the horses of the officers.
One of from 80 to 80 cars, will transport either
battery of field artillery of 6guns and 2 how
itzers, leaving half of the ammunition wagons
and the two leaders of every six-horse team to
follow on a single train, or squadron OF 15c
mounted men and 160 horses, the riders accom-
panying their animals. A rocket battery re-
quires only single train and one locomotive.
Upon carefully calculating weights time and
distances the conclusion is that division of TO-
600 men-8 battalons, 2 regiments of cavalry
and 2 batteries, on the German plsn-might be
carried 120 miles on long summers day, a
double track and turnouts existing, and all
things in good order. This, at least, is about
the rate at which the Prussians have moved
toward the Rhine, only that by peculiar effort
they managed to get nearly q, 900 men through
on each railroad line in the "a hours. Thus,
in the lapse of 10 days they presented 100000
men on their frontier, in addition to such
troops as they had already in station near the
scene.