Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-09

deliver . larger quantity Of supplies ct given
point than can possibly be delivered by ordi-
nary roads They thus favor the concentration
OF armies and their sojourning in the same
district Without railroads the siege of Paris,
II said, would have been IN impossibility.
orHkR ADVANTAGES OF lrvKls AND RAILnoAps.
There are advantages, however, in rivers and
railroads over ordinary roads, which are
entirely independent of speed, which would
lnure to the army controlling and using the m,
though steamships and locomotives should go
no faster than six mule teams. Rivers and rail-
roads, as compared to ordinary roads, are con-
stantly and uniformly practicable, and rail and
water conveyances are far more durable than
wagons, IN other words much less apt to break
down. Furthermore, they do not require any,
thing like 80 large proportion Of their capacity
for the transportation Of their own wants or
necessities. On this account as well as by
reason Of greater speed rivers and railroads
win carry an invading army forward not only
faster but further from its base than
ordinary roads, and distant invasions
which proved to be impracticable before the
age OF steam are now deemed perfectly practi-
cable. 1t is safe to say that Napoleon would
not have retreated from Moscow in 1912 had he
had railroad communication with France, and
that Sherman could not have reached Atlanta,
subsisting his army, as he did, from Chatta-
nooga. but for the railroad in his rear.
At an early stage of tina war our government
showed its appreciation of the military import
ance OF railroads.
Congress, by act Of January 81, 1862 eau
thorized the President, when in his judgment
the public safety required it, to take possession
OF any or all Geographic lines, or any or all
railroad lines in the United States; all their
appendages and appurtenances, DC. .
agents, employees, belonging to such lines, "
so that they shall be considered part of the
military establishment of the United States,
subject to all the restrictions imposed by the
rules and articles Of war;
The same act imposed severe penalties on
any person resisting or interfering in any man.
ner with the unrestrained use by the govern
ment OF such property, and provided further
that the transportation of troops, munitions of
war, DC, throughout the United States shall be
under the immediate control and supervision
OF the Secretary of War, and such agents as he
may appoint.
by order Of the President of the United
States as commander of the army and navy,
dated February IL, 1862, military director
and superintendent of railroads in the United
States, was appointed with power to enter
upon, take possession of, hold and use all rail-
roads, engines, &C., in TACT to carry out all the
provisions of the act referred to as far as re-
CARDS railroads.
This officer was under the direct orders Of
the Secretary of War.
This was the origin Of the department of
military railroads of the United States
The military authorities called to their aid
the services OF the most experienced railroad
men of the country, and department grew up
vastly more. extensive and important than any
supply department of the army.
such a department now forms part Of the
military establishment of every great power in
Europe excepting England"
THE SECURITY OF RIVERS.
While railroads more vulnerable than
ordinary roads, rivers are less SO. Hence, as
lines Of supply, rivers are generally to be pre-
ferred to railroads 1t takes but little COM
mon labor 10 make a break in a railroad, but
to obstruct the navigation of a river is oper-
alton of consideration skill and magnitude.
| The capacity of one of our large rivers for
transportation is limited only by the number
of vessels at hand.
An ordinary Ohio river steamer, carrying
both passengers and freight has a capacity oil
about 900 tons. To supply an army Of 10000
men and $4,000 animals requires about 260 tons
daily. Hence one such steamer would carry
supplies for such army for nearly two days.
The capacity of an ordinary box-car is from l(
to 10 tons of general stores. A simple calcula-
ton therefore will show that to forward the
load OF one large river steamer by rail would
require from 80 to so cars, or say, two trains OF
20 cars each.
The Comte de Paris, the ablest historian
thus far, Of our late war, says that whenever
the Federals were supported by river their
progress was certain and their conquests deci.
sive; whilst the successes they obtained by fol.
lowing simple line OF railway were always
precarious, new dangers springing up in their
rear in proportion as they advanced.