In
the Spring of 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, the Confederacy
desperately needed to increase its small supply of railroad rolling stock. In
response to this, Colonel Thomas J. Jackson contrived and executed a
brilliant scheme to “appropriate” a large number of locomotives, railroad cars
and other pieces of equipment from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad,
then under his control on the northern edge of Virginia. The result was an
episode in the War Between the States, the logistics of which amazed officials
on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Jackson’s plan was to amass and then trap rolling stock between Point of Rocks, Maryland and Martinsburg. To accomplish this, he
informed B & O president John Garrett that the trains passing
through Harpers Ferry at night were disturbing Jackson’s
troops, and henceforth would only be allowed to move between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The net
effect of this curfew was to bottle up trains in yards on both sides of Harpers Ferry. Then Jackson sent troops to sever the rail lines at Point of Rocks and Martinsburg.
On May 24, 1861, his men began to seize some 40 locomotives and
nearly 400 railroad cars that had accumulated. They painstakingly dragged them
to Winchester, and then to Strasburg. From there, some of the stock
was moved by rail and some dragged by land, to Staunton,
a distance of 125 miles from Martinsburg. At Staunton, the equipment was loaded
onto the tracks of the Virginia Central Railroad and distributed
throughout the South.
On
our August tour, we will examine how the enterprise was executed, the
personalities involved, and the obstacles that had to be overcome to
implement the scheme. On Saturday morning of our tour, from our base in Winchester,
we will drive first to Point of Rocks, Maryland and see where the line was cut on the eastern end.
Then, we’ll go down into the nearby old village of Harpers
Ferry that figured so prominently
in the great train raid and in other compelling chapters of the Civil War.
We’ll have time to visit the various historical buildings and we’ll discuss the
curious war-time relationship between Jackson and John Garrett.
After
lunch in Harpers Ferry at the famed Hilltop House, we will drive west
to Martinsburg, where Jackson’s troops confiscated or destroyed so many engines and
cars and much railroad track. We will visit the Martinsburg B & O
Roundhouse, and the oldest continuously operating railroad station in the U. S., dating
from 1847.
From
there, we’ll drive south on the historic Valley Pike, past Bunker Hill and
Stephenson Depot to Winchester where we’ll visit its old train station. Here
we’ll discuss how Jackson’s men, with the help of local wagoners, rigged
special carriages and dollies to transport the purloined rail stock. In an
incredible feat of engineering, they pulled Engine #199, weighing 85 tons, by
40-horse teams, rigged artillery style, through downtown Winchester all
the way to the railhead in Staunton.
That
evening, we’ll gather for a buffet dinner and a illustrated presentation of the Centreville Military Railroad, the world's first railroad constructed exclusively for military purposes .
The
next morning, we’ll head south past Kernstown, Stephens City and Middletown to Strasburg and a visit to the Strasburg Museum,
which became a depot for the Southern Railway in 1913. We’ll discuss how some
of the captured equipment was placed on the rails of the Manassas Gap
Railroad here and sent south to Staunton.
Then,
we’ll continue along the Valley Pike – on the route taken by Jackson’s men
as they painstakingly dragged along the rest of the confiscated B & O
engines, rolling stock and equipment - through pristine countryside and small
Valley towns that witnessed so much of the Civil War. Near Harrisonburg,
we’ll stop at the Willow Spout and talk about the fountain that slaked
the thirst of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers during the War. We will next
stop at the Joseph Crawn house near Mount Crawford from which Crawn, then in his teens,
witnessed an engine and several box cars being hauled along the Valley Pike. In
a 1933 interview, he would report that it took 40 horses to haul the
engine and 20 horses to pull each boxcar. Then, we’ll be on to Staunton,
which played a pivotal role during the War years when the Shenandoah
Valley served as the "Breadbasket of the
Confederacy." While most battles were being fought north or west of Staunton,
it was the presence of the Virginia Central Railroad that provided a
vital link between the Valley and eastern Virginia,
making Staunton an important supply depot for the Confederacy. After lunch near Staunton,
we’ll end our tour at the old Staunton Railroad Station where we’ll discuss
the ultimate disposition of Jackson’s
railroad bounty.
Throughout
the tour, we will see Jackson at his finest, and will become familiar with the men
who masterminded this daring exploit. In their wildest dreams, the James
brothers couldn’t hold a candle to the eccentric former VMI professor when it
came to “appropriations” of the iron horse. We hope you’ll climb aboard for
this unique tour!
About Our Tour Leader
Arthur
Candenquist recently retired as Amtrak’s Manager, Emergency Preparedness. He began
working for the railroad in 1974 as a signal tower operator, then as train
dispatcher and safety engineer before being appointed to his most recently held
post. He has been a serious scholar of railroads in the Civil War and the War
Between the States since 1956, and has published articles on a variety of Civil
War topics.
Program
Schedule:
Saturday,
August 9
8:30 AM Depart by Bus from Best Western Lee-Jackson, Winchester, VA
12:15PM Lunch at Hilltop House
in Harpers Ferry
4:30 PM Arrive
Back at Best Western Lee-Jackson
6:15 PM Buffet
Dinner
7:15-8:15PM Presentation – “If They Build It, Supplies Will Come" - The Centreville
Military Railroad
Sunday,
August 10
8:15 AM Depart
from Best Western L:ee-Jackson
12:00 Lunch
3:30 PM Arrive
back at Best Western Lee-Jackson
Registration Fees (Lodging not Included): $ 295 Under Age 23: $ 95
You can reserve a space on this tour
by making a $50 Deposit per Person.
If You Must Cancel we will refund 100% of your fees paid. However, to
receive a 100% refund, you must allow 30 days from the date of our
receipt of your notice of cancellation
What is Included in your Registration Fee:
· the services of an expert
historian chosen for his knowledge and experience
· transportation to sites as
indicated
· Saturday & Sunday lunches
· Saturday buffet dinner
· refreshments and snacks during the
tour
· information package
Base Location and Lodging: We will be based at the Best Western Lee-Jackson, 711 Millwood Avenue, Winchester, VA where we have reserved a block of rooms at the special nightly rate of $58.49 + tax – Single and $62.99 + tax - Double. To reserve a room under our block, call 540-662-4154 and identify yourself as a registrant for the Civil War Education Association tour
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