Evening star., 1897-01-16

Information received from scouts to retire
at night to Bunker Hill. point well with
in the confederate lines, to avoid the risk
OF capture, returning early next morning
to resume operations. The loss of one Of
the skilled men would have been a far
more serious affair than that of a private
soioler. who was merely fighter. or per-
haps. even than that of some of the COM
missfoned officers Notwithstanding the
length of time over which the operation
extended and the frequent proximity of the
Ihion forces, there was never mucn as a
skirmish. To carry off bodily such n great
mass OF heavy material from points at in
tervais within the clutch of the opposing
Ioroes, without the loss of single man.
was indeed a remarkable feat.
The last time the railroad corps" ham
dled one OF the captured locomotives was
IN the spring of 1852 when the confederates
evacuated Manassas Just after second Bull
Run. AT that time the "l99" a camel
Dack, and the last OF the engines taken
rrcm MartinSburg, was at Strasburg ready
70 pe conveyed by the way of railroads to
Ricnmond. The sudden move CT the army
rendered this impossible, as the direct route
TO the capital had been cut off so the night
OF the evacuation the railroad force were
ordered to get that 'cameback'' to Rich
mond by the only route left opeu namely.
the very circuitous one by way of Moant
Jackson and Staunton. Accordin.,ly the
''1s9. which had already cost so much time
Manassas Gap railroad and taken to Mount
Jackson, distance of twenty-five miles
and thence by team over the pike. matter
of seventy miles more to stanton where
1t was again placed on the rails. this time
those of the Virginia Central. and hauled
TO Richmond. The trip occupied about four
days. and the movement Was the most
hurried and exciting of the series. Many
bridges had to be strengthened en- route
and in crossing some of them II was found
necessary to substitute block and fall for
the horses. Staunton was reached early in
the morning, and. though 1t WAS scarcely
daylight the major portion of the populs-
lion were up and out to see the novel cayal-
cade.
Lie Idle in Richmond.
All the engines We're kept at Richmond
until the last one had been seized, the
original intention having been to do the re-
pairing and refitting there, but in May,
1852, when Mcclellan began his movement
up the peninsula and preparations to evacu-
ate the capital were made. the dismantled
locomotives and their disocated members
were among the very first freight started
cut of Richmond. To have allowed those
precious "camelbacks" to fall into the
hands of the northern troops after such
risks and the expenditure of so much time,
ingenuity and labor. would have been gall
ing. indeed. Colonel Sharp, who had them
in charge. directed Mr.. Duke to hurry the
prizes by rail to safe point in the south.
They were accordingly taken to a place on
the North Carolina Central road, in Ala
nance county, n. c., about fifty miles west
of Raleigh. The movement was successful
ly accomplished and the engines found an
other temporary resting place. Meantime
the large shop buildings of the Raleigh and
Castor railroad at Raleigh were leased by
the southern government, fitted up with
improved machinery and the Confederate
states locomotive shops" were established.
The shops were ready for work by July,
1862, and the captured locomotives and the
lad
to Raleigh, and a large force Of workmen
began the retitting and repairing. AS fast
as ready, the rehahilitated engines were
turned over to the various southern rail-
roads. who purchased them from the con-
federate states. readily paying for them by
credits upon the government transportation
accounts. The existence of the shops,
which were extensive and fully equipped,
was not generally known, and was one of
many evidences that the confederate lead
efs, or at least some of them, realized thd
the war was to be no three months af-
fair but long and hard struggle. and
that the most systematic and thorough
marshaling of resources and facilities was
necessary. About ten months were occu-
pied In turning out the locomotives, and IL
was over eighteen months from the date of
the first raid on the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad before they We're all in active use
again. They proved highly valuable In
subsequent operations, coming into use as
they did. when much of the southern roll
ing stock was completely worn out.
Other Equipment.
The operations were not confined to the
carrying off of cars and engines. The best
portion of the equipment of the Raleigh
shops, above described, including lathes,
planers. drill presses, and last, but not
lghtest, turn-table, were all conveyed to
Raleigh in cars, by the way of the pike and
railroads, from the Baltimore and Ohio
round-house at Martinsburg. More than
this, at later period of the war, the rail
road corps who seem to have stopped at
nothing, actually tore up and hauled away
the ties. rails, chairs and spikes forming
about five miles of the Baltimore and Ohio
road between Duffields and Kearneysyille
and relaid it from Manassas Gap to Cen
terville for the use of the army Mr.. Duke
remembers. and relates with dry humor,
now, after most strenuous efforts this
piece OF track was got into position late
saturday evening, and how the very next
day, sunday 1t was captured by the Union
IorceS. This episode occurred lust prior to
second Bull Run, and was a striking ex-
ample OF the extreme uncertainty of war
movements. "
Col Sharp, who conducted the movements
Tor the seizure Of the rolling stock was
not many years after the war made mas
Ter OF transportation Of the Baltimore and
ONO road, and filed that Important most
uon for number Of years under Presiriant
John w. Garrett, who was at the head of
the road during the war and who was s,,Ia
10 appreciate enterprise and ability cyan
" men Tor season directa} INC, III. -