Danielle Berry
26 October 2014
The Importance of Railroads During the Civil War
The Civil War was the first war in which railroads were a major factor. [1] The South was less enthusiastic about the railroad industry; they believed their main use was just to get cotton to the ports, but they did begin to realize how they could be advantageous in warfare. [2] “During the Civil War, railroads were second only to waterways in providing logistical support for the armies.”[3] Railroads were vital in providing supplies to military units that were on campaign nearby. This often made these railroads the main objectives to opposing forces because if a military unit couldn’t get the essential supplies it needed, then the men in that unit would have major problems and would be in grave danger. [4] In some instances, commanders sometimes sent locomotives to scout out the terrain and gain information on enemy troop dispositions. [5] “While this may seem like a risky venture, gathering information was often worth the risk, and lone locomotives could quickly reverse direction and move as fast as 60 mph, far faster than pursuing cavalry.”[6] With such great mobility, locomotives were also useful as courier vehicles when commanders had to rush vital intelligence to headquarters. This communications service was an important advantage in a war where raiders frequently cut or tapped telegraph lines. [7] In certain special situations, railroads were also used in a type of offensive attack. Some were sent at full speed in an attempt to damage an enemy train, an enemy’s railroad facilities, or simply to attack troops. Some individual railroad cars were also set on fire and used against opponents and to burn bridges. [8] “Freight trains might also deceive an enemy. A train might run back and forth into an area, tricking scouts into reporting that the enemy was reinforcing his position, when in fact he was leaving. One Federal ruse involved sending a deserted train down the tracks to entice masked Confederate artillery into firing, thereby revealing their location to counterfire.” [9] Trains were vital in the transporting of heavy artillery. With their ability to move much faster than horses, units were able to get essential supplies much quicker than they normally would have. Some of the train’s individual cars would have soldiers on board, so they would be able to fire while on the train which could be used in surprise type attacks. Some train cars were also used as protection for some men involved in a unit. They had sandbags and other items that would serve as a type of shielding to try to protect them from deadly gunfire.
All in all, the use of railroads was a major factor in the Civil War. Their use ultimately favored the Union forces because they had more railroad lines up north, and because they were more economically sound. Also, the Union started to focus on taking away the Confederate’s access to railroads which ultimately helped them to achieve victory over the South. But discovering and utilizing all of the uses that would come with railroads was a major step forward in American warfare. Civil War railroad operations were characterized by the widespread use of locomotives and rolling stock to support armies tactically as well as logistically. Americans set precedents for a variety of modern armored fighting vehicles, including armored railroad cars, armored trains, railroad batteries and other railroad weapons. Moreover, tanks, armored personnel carriers, engineer vehicles and self-propelled artillery can also claim American railroad weapons as their conceptual ancestors. [10]
To me, the way the American forces were able to find so many advantages of these railroads was extremely impressive. They were able to use these railroads for not only transporting supplies, but also for communication purposes, offensive attacks, and overall protection. Without the railroads, the moving of important supplies would’ve taken much longer and wouldn’t have been transported with such efficiency. The railroads were so important for so many reasons. Transportation of artillery, food, etc., was its main use but being able to use it for gathering intel, communication, and shielding from gun fire also proved to important uses for these railroads.
This is an example of what a military train would’ve looked like during the Civil War. [11]
[2] Lighthizer, 1.
[3] Koenig, Alan. “Railroad’s Critical Role in the Civil War.” America’s Civil War, September 1996.
[4] Koenig, 2.
[5] Koenig, 2.
[6] Koening, 2.
[7] Koenig, 2.
[8] Koenig, 3.
[9] Koenig, 3.
[10] Koenig, 3.
[11] http://belldandy.booksite.com/blimages/ckupload/imgO5zcQXlocomotive.jpg
Group A 
You said that the water transportation was used more than rail systems. I did not expect that at all. I have always thought railroads were used greatly during the war. What I did not know is that they outfitted these locomotives with weaponry. Very interesting. Good post.
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Thank you. I was also very surprised that railroads weren’t used even more than the water systems. I thought it was very impressive that they found all these various ways to utilize the railroads.
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Students tend to find this really surprising, because today water travel is primarily for leisure, so you aren’t alone! Until after the Civil War, though, water travel was generally faster and safer, since roads held various hazards and especially in the South there were few railroad lines.
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The idea of sheilding the troops from gunfire with the trains was very interesting to me. It seems like they were able to use the trains as not just a form of technology but also a part of their environment that they could manipulate. Very interesting! Great post.
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I really enjoyed reading your blog post. The locomotive is definitely something that the North benefited from more than the South. One example I found rather interesting was the fact that they used the trains to view the land and confederate forces. This kept the Union forces safe by replacing the soldier with a large, unstoppable train. One thing I overlooked was the transportation of soldiers. This allowed the North to move their soldiers way more efficiently than the South could because of their capacity and speed. For further discussion, were there any major battles where trains played a big part in the outcome? Please let me know. Good post, Danielle.
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While I knew that railroads were important for transportation of goods and people during the war, I never realized the different facets of their significance. For example, I never knew that rail cars were sent as “dummies” to trick the enemy. It is interesting how resourceful the armies were. I also find it interesting that at first the South was hesitant to use railroads too much because of the destruction that came to their railroads during Sherman’s March to the Sea. Did you come across any numbers about how many railroads each side utilized during the war? I know the Union used them more, but I wonder if the Confederate’s numbers would even come close.
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From what I read, the amount of railroads utilized was much higher for the North than it was for the South due to their economic standing and the North already having railroads in place prior to the war.
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You wouldn’t normally think of railroads being useful as anything but supply routes, it’s cool that you pointed out how they were used for much more than that. I can just see how they were used offensively, talk about overkill. The Civil War was really the first war to make use of railroads, so all of these uses were innovations. It is clear to see that the North had the advantage in terms or railroads, with their higher industry. Still, it is curious to think what would have happened if the South had been even with them. We can only guess.
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I obviously knew about railroads being used to transport men and supplies, but I had no idea about the other ways they were used. I didn’t know about them being used to launch attacks, burn bridges, or destroy enemy railroad facilities and trains. The other ways in which trains were used interests me.
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Danielle, this was a wonderful post. Not only is the topic of railroads in the Civil War fascinating, it is very important as well. Some scholarly historians now even believe that if the South had more railroad infrastructure prior to the war, the outcome may have been different. It makes you think what technology exists today that impacts war in a similar way as railroads in the civil war. I’m also surprised to discover that water travel played such a big role. Tactics of the war also were very reliant on where railroads were and how they could be used.
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This is a very interesting topic. I had no idea that trains were used for so many different things during the war. Was it typically Union troops that employed trains for such different methods? If so, do you think it was because they had more rail lines and cars to spare than the South?
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From what I read, the North had better access to railroads because they had more rail road lines than the South and they had a better economic situation so they were better able to utilize the rail roads and the individual rail cars.
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You show some particularly salient points concerning the logistical functions of railroads during the Civil War. The post is reminiscent of previous conversations regarding the role of technology in warfare, specifically the advent of America’s navy during the same time. Beyond communication and transportation, did the coming of the railroad signify deeper shifts in the nature of warfare in the post industrialization world?
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I would think that the coming of the railroad would definitely change warfare for future encounters. The way they were able to utilize the them for more than just transportation points to that.
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When thinking about the use of locomotives during the Civil War I generally placed their limitations to troop and supply movements. This post has given me a new appreciation for this topic and a better understanding of the trains role in Civil War battlefield tactics. using its speed a locomotive could scout and then move like the wind and as a weapon i never imagined sending one down the line to collide with an enemy train. Very interesting post.
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I’m glad you posted about this. This is an often ignored aspect of the war, but seeing as how the railroad boom was going on around this time, it’s incredibly relevant. This is one of the big reasons the North had an advantage over the South. The North had way more railroad lines than the South. As a result they were able to move troops and supplies much quicker than the Confederates, giving them a much bigger advantage.
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