Ariana Tamboli
Ms. Chasteen
Language Arts 7
07 March 2023
The Strategic Use of Railroads in Union Victories
Railroads in the Civil War were some of the most advanced military technologies in late 1800s America. Throughout the nation, citizens and soldiers would newly define the war as the "first railroad war" (The Association of American Railroads 10). Specifically, the vast majority of Union rails were built by Herman Haupt, a skilled and dexterous engineer. Hence, railroads evolved into principal, modern combat vehicles. Prior to railroads, men were reliant on horses for transportation, thus railroads were created to benefit Union soldiers. Ultimately, railroads, locomotives, and railcars had a major function in the Union's numerous victories
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As a result, the economy overall became stronger, and they made a large profit. Railroads were the very first pieces of technology to have a major impact on the American economy ("Railroads in the Civil War" 42). Rails transported an unheard of amount of troops and supplies while also introducing the first ironclad railcars, which could carry lots of artillery and massive weapons. As a result, even current militaries in the United States use these types of railcars. If it weren't for the Secretary of War Stanton and his idea of railroads, the Union would have had a slimmer chance of succeeding in their final victory. The North experimented with different types of iron for the rails, like steel, which is still used in modern-day rails. The Confederacy had a strong urge to mimic the Union, but they were unable. At one point, they became so desperate for iron that they bargained with Europe to get iron for free ("How the Railroad Won the War" 4). As well, the idea of railroads was considered so ingenious that Germany began to build rails. Ever since, they were loaded with military rails ("Military Railroads During the Civil War" 310). A man by the name of Herman Haupt supposedly built most of the Union's 22,000 miles of track. He was forced to work with untrained men, inadequate amounts of food and water, and even harsh weather, according to David A. Pfeiffer (2). This fact proves that …show more content…
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Clark, John Elwood. Railroads in the Civil War: The Impact of Management on Victory and Defeat.
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Railroads aided heavily in advancing the transport of goods and supplies to the front lines, where they were needed the most. The only “disadvantage of this was the railroads became a prime target for attacks” (Civil War
As stated by Northern Illinois University, “The railroad became a sectional issue, with South and North competing for its terminus”. (Monroe,
Ultimately, the railroads were one of the most successful innovations in America, giving the men who controlled them immense
https://bestgedclasses.org/civil-war-north-vs-south-overview/ The main binary opposition between the North and the South in the 1800s was that the North was more economically and technologically advanced. That was the whole ideal, that the North was superior when it came to continuous progress. Well the idea of transportation adds to the binary opposition between the two sides. The North is superior to the South, and so the binary opposition becomes emphasized with anything that proves that ideal.
Eduardo Gonzalez 10-30-16 US History Mr. Aguilera Trains and War The invention of the railroad and trains caused a boom in industrial growth. It allowed goods and people to be transported farther and faster than ever before, but it didn’t only boost economies it also expanded the ranges and longevity of wars. Railroads allowed for larger number of supplies to be transported.
From the year of 1860 to 1900, eight out of ten presidents were republican [doc 4]. At the time, the republican platform believed in enacting policies that would encourage the development of industry [doc 3]. The beliefs and power held by the Republican Party at the time is likely why the amount of railroads increased substantially, going from under forty thousand miles to nearly two hundred thousand miles in less than forty years [doc 2]. Railroads were the driving force behind the industrialization of the country; they provided relatively inexpensive, quick transport for raw materials, livestock, people, and foodstuff. Railroads made life in the United States much more convenient, and the public demand for them was so high that the federal government was willing to offer money and land to have them built.
Even though the railroad was made before the separation between the north and the south and it’s main job was to provide supplies for both sides, the invention of the railroad greatly contributed to the civil war. During the war the railroad was used to provide supplies for the war. If this invention didn’t exist then both sides would rely on the mississippi river and other channels of water and both sides would be a little more similar when it comes to culture. If this invention didn’t cause the war it greatly contributed to it, similar to many other forms of technology created during the
Big Business in the Gilded Age DBQ During the civil war, railroads were used to transport the needs of war. Such as guns, medical supplies, and food. After The homestead act was signed into law the need for railroads grew more rapidly as people moved west. This caused the need for oil, steel, and railroads to increase.
(TH) With the formation of the railroads, construction and operation, brought a vast cultural, economic and political change to a country only 46 years old. (SSP1)Geo Right after the creation of the rail roads, people in the US started to realize how amazing this creation actually is and how it changed people’s lives economically. Peoples first thoughts on what to do with the rail roads was to transport goods. (R1)
Marshall Lasater Mr. L Military History P6 1/27/23 Transcontinental Railroad Imagine a railroad that stretches across half of the nation. The Transcontinental Railroad was an immensely important development in American history. It connected the east and west coasts of the United States, allowing for faster transportation of goods and people across the country. The railroad also opened up new economic opportunities for businesses that could now easily move their products to far-away markets, leading to a period of unprecedented industrial growth in America during this time.
The railroad was America's first technological corridor. Just as it fostered the growth of the American economy, it also fostered the development of the nation's public discourse and intellectual
Transcontinental Railroad Tera Richardson, 4336787 History 102 B008 Sum 17 Professor Traci Sumner American Military University July 22, 2017 Abstract The transcontinental railroad was one of the biggest advocates for the industrial economy and westward expansion. The railroads could transfer goods and people across the country with ease, and quickly. While some bad came from this miraculous progression, such as the panic of 1873 and a yellow fever epidemic, the good outweighed the bad as it enabled the United States to fulfill its Manifest Destiny through westward expansion.
Because of the rapid settlement of the western land in the 1850s, Congress wanted to enforce a transcontinental railroad to replace America’s current weak transportation system—horse-drawn carriages were still used and soldiers often had to walk. But due to the constant competition between the Northern members and the Southern
With the advent of the railroad, many of these issues disappeared. Railroads had a major impact on advancing the American economy, transforming America into a modern society, and improving an antiquated transportation system. The building of railroads created rapid economic growth in America. Railroad companies employed more than one million workers to build and maintain railroads. At the same time, coal, timber, and steel industries employed thousands of workers to provide the supplies necessary to build railroads (Chapter 12 Industrialization).
The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.