The Press., 1912-02-14
A NIGHT
RUN
Story by a Locomotive Engineer
Of Civil War Service
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

There is one feature Of the civil war
that ha~ never been written up.
/ refer to the railroads. They were
the main instruments of transportation
and communication. Their possession
was therefore usually the most i'm
portant element in campaign. And
when taken the next problem that
arose was how to hold them and the
next how to operate them to a pur-
pose. The people living in the south
through which they passed were
mostly sympathizers with the Confed-
eracy and did all they could or dare
do to wreck trains in Federal hands.
They would take up a rail, saw the
stringers of a bridge, so that the
weight of train would break it; they
would interfere with switches. Indeed,
there was no element OF danger they
could devise that they would not
throw in the way Of the Union opera
ton of the road.
Before repeating a story that was
told me by an ex-Federal railroad en-
gineer will mention a narrow escape
to which l was a party. was with
q Union general who was riding on
a locomotive through a hostile coun-
try. The engineer was young south
erner whom the general had impressed
for the service, forcing him to run
the engine. We were speeding along
at night. Suddenly l saw the eng1-
neer reverse the wheels, then, pale as
a ghost, wait for something terrible
to happen. L felt a jolt, and the en-
gineer at once recovered his courage.
He had seen a tie wedged in between
the rails with a view to throwing our
locomotive of the tracks and down
an embankment. The effort had fail
ed. In q few minutes we thought no
more about it. The deaths we missed
and were constantly missing counted
for nothing. Now for the story.
zone morning at daybreak," said the
narrator, after q forced march we
struck one of the main railroad ar
teries in the southwest and captured a
lot of rolling stock. My captain told
me that the general had called for
those of the command who had been
railway engineers, conductors and
trainmen, and 1, being an engineer,
was to report at once at headquarters.
1 did so. The general asked me a few
questions about my experience and told
me to report for duty to Captain Ben
ton, who had been appointed railway
was given an engine
and hauled troops to the eastern end
of the road, which they occupied.
at was about two weeks after this
that the superintendent told me to re
port in person to the general. did so,
and he said to me:
Sergeant. have just received a
telegram from L., at the other end of
the road, that the force there has been
attacked by a superior force. The
colonel commanding has promised not
to surrender for at least two hours.
You must take a train through to him
loaded with troops and ammunition
within that period
"'But, general expostulated, there
are three elements against me. must
go in the night, the roadbed will not
admit of a safe rate Of over thirty
miles an hour, and the people along the
route will do all they can to wreck the
train
"'You must go the whole ninety
miles in two hours. The possession of
L. is of vital Importance. If you reach
there before the surrender 1t will be
saved. Better that you should wreck
%Tso{ Y1 Fn LOFT
"That's what a mans hfe-not one
mans life, but thousands-is worth
in war. 1 walked away from the gen.
eral feeling that had been ordered to
take nine chances in ten Of killing and
manning 800 men, including myself.
But I'd been in it a year then and
knew how little our lives were worth
against the possibility Of achieving
success for the nation.
81 found that the superintendent had
been getting a train ready for me and
1t was loaded with the probable
victims. l sprang on to the cab and
with a couple of short toots from the
whistle started the machine, the one
in best repair In our possession. had
been over the line nearly every day
for fortnight and knew where must
endeavor to make the best time. I
hadn't had any time to figure it out
automatically. 1 must take frightful
risks on the straightaway parts and
let up on the curves And even on the
curves must drive far beyond a safe
rate.
eff may be said to have got on well
on any part of the journey it was the
first half. For that period my arm
was steady and my brain was cool
Nevertheless 1t was an hour calculated
to break the stoutest nerve. Word
must have got to some of the people
along the line, for had scarcely got
over ten miles when I found an OBJ
struction. Coming to a sharp curve
around the base OF hill, said to my
self. If they're going to throw me Off
anywhere they'll do 1t right here So
/ cut my speed down to what would
enable me to stop within less than a
trains length. 1t was well l did so.
At the farther end OF the curve l pull
ed mp within ten feet of a tree felled
across the track.
Zen minutes was all the delay oc-
and 1 pushed on. But what
ever of hope had felt before that this
OF danger would not come up
before me was crushed out OF me. Be
yOnd the curve l came to the first long
straight bit of the road on the line.
knew I must do over sixty miles an
hour here In order to get through in
the limit of time. For twelve miles
kept my eyes fixed on the track illu-
minated by the headlight, tearing along |
30 fast that should an obstruction be
on the track / could never slow up in |
time to avoid it. Every minute of
strain on my nerves took just so much |
strength out Of them. believed that |
no one would place anything on a |
straight track to throw me of and took /