Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-12-15
STOLE 4 RAILROAD.
How Col. 7. II. Sharp took Engines
and Cars Across Country. y

How Col. 7. r. Sharp Took Engines
and Cars Across Country. #
A frequent visitor to the Grand
Hotel, Colonel Thomas r. Sharp,
now connected with the engineering
department Of the Black Diamond
Roilroad, enjoys tho rare distinction
Of having picked up bodily and trans
ported across country during tho
War Of the Rebellion nineteen loco
motives, over hundred freight oars
and vast quantity of railroad iron,
all of which did effective service Tor
the side of the South. Even to rail-
road men and engineers the feat is
still 80 remarkable and difficult that
wherever he goes Colonel Sharp is
admirably looked on and referred to
as the man who succeeded in steal
ing railroad and bodily carrying it
away with him. .....
The opportunity for the raid oc-
CURED in June, 1861, when the Con-
federate forces under General Joseph
e. Johnston occupied Harper's Ferry,
and controlled the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad from Point of Rocks,
few miles South of Uarper's Ferry,
to considerable distance West of
Martinsburg.
The Union forces, under General
Patterson, were between the Poto-
mao and the Pennsylvania line. Be.
tween the hostile lines and yet within
the grasp of the Southern forces ran
the Baltimore and Ohio road. Mar
tinsburg, only hirty-eight miles
from the nearest Southern railroad
and but eighteen miles from Win
chester, which the Confederates held
without dispute, was the terminus of
one of the divisions of this great
trunk line, and it's shops and round
houses were filled with engines and
coaches.
THE GREAT RAID.
Colonel Sharp was Captain and
acting Quartermaster in the South
ern army, and he conceived the idea
of raiding the Martinsburg shops
and hauling the engines and oars
over the pike from Martinsburg to
Strawsburg, Va, where they could
be placed on the tracks of the Ma
nassas Gap Railroad.
The engines were dismantled, all
but their drive wheels, tho forward
ends being placed on heavy truck
made for the purpose, with iron-shod
wheels. Forty horses in q team
were attached to each engine. Jack
screws were used as breaks in going
down hill, being fastened to the en-,
gine frame and placed sidewise
against the drive wheels and tight
ened OF loosened as necessity arose.
The work of transportation was
necessarily slow, and the cavalcade,
with horses four ABREAST and stretch
ing out for 100 feet along the road,
furnished startling spectacle, doubt
less never before seen anywhere.
Sometimes the distance between
Martinsburg and Winchester, eigh-
teen miles, was made in one day, but
the average time from Martinsburg
to Strawsburg was three days.
The engines were put together
again as soon as they reached Straws-
burg, and they and the cars were
able o render such aid in transport
ing troops that it is questionable
whether tho second battle of Manas-
sas, or Bull Run, would have termi-
mated as it did if it had not been for
the increased transportation facilities
they afforded.
The engines were afterward taken
to Richmond, and when that city
was threatened they were removed
to Raleigh, N. O., and did valuable
service to the Confederacy through
out the war.
ARMOR FOR THE MERRIMhC.
1t is related that some of the rail
road iron that was included in the
quantity carried away by Col. Sharp
formed the armor which made the
Merrimao the destroying terror of
the United States Navy, and which,
but for the providential arrival of the
Monitor, must have sunk at will
every Federal gunboat which she at
tackled.
Some of the stolen property was
recovered by the b. &c o. road after
the war, and so high tregard did the
management have for the genius of
Col. Sharp that he was made Master
of Transportation of the road, q posi-
ton he held for number of years
under President John w. Garrett,
who was also at the head of the road
during the war.--Cincinnati Com
mercial Tribune, April 6, 1893.