Civil War Railroads - Research Paper Example

To a greater scale, the Civil War marked the first and successful militarization by utilizing the railroads and resulted in a continental scale conflict. In addition, the Civil War contributed to the invention and use of conventional weaponry that included machine guns and artillery and to top up, railroad weapons1. This paper explores the role played by the Civil War Railroads. The impact of railroads on operations Railroads played a role in facilitating logistical support during the Civil war, for armies while on the other hand, they proved significant in advancing the economies of warring nations.

In essence, railroads influenced operations during the Civil War by enhancing mobility of armies in terms of transporting troops and other supplies. Railroad technology improved the production of weapons since, it provided a means of transporting large loads, efficiently2. The strategy adopted by the Union arm entailed an effective logistical operations that would replenish supplies and a sophisticated means of transport that, enable a rapid shift of troops to critical locations. As a result, an extensive railroad system allowed the Union soldiers to transport more soldiers that was impossible without a railroad network.

Compared to the Southern army, the Northern army received more supplies as a result of controlling over 30,000 miles of railroad in America. In other situations, locomotives served the purpose of reconnoiter and enhanced the process of gathering information related to the enemy troop disposition. In addition, the mobility of locomotives, provided an effective means as courier vehicles for commanders rushing intelligence information to their headquarters. The railroad provided a rapid communication service and played an important role in terms of gaining advantage against frequent raids on telegraph lines that characterized the Civil War3.

The railroads further enabled locomotives to operate as rams where, troops used these locomotives to destroy enemy train and railroad facilities. The railroads also enabled troops to launch modified cars that were set on fire to destroy bridges used by opponents. On another note, freight trains during the Civil War, served the purpose to deceive the enemy by running a train back and forth within one location. This tricked scouts into giving false information about opponents reinforcing their positions while, the trick acted as a cover for troops leaving an area.

The railroad further revolutionized warfare and operations as a result of the introduction of railroad monitors that transported a large contingent of infantrymen. The rail monitors, increased fire power and improved the troop’s capacity to combat the invading enemy. However, the railroads on the other hand, impacted negatively on operations as a result of fierce completion that existed among railroad owners. Further, the maintenance of the rail lines, and including the trains presented a hurdle to owners.

As a result, the railroads begun to experience difficulties because of a lack of new parts to replace the worn out parts. This affected the speed of locomotive that dropped to almost 10miles an hour from averagely 25 miles an hour. Fuel too, became an issue and especially, for the southern locomotives that relied heavily on wood. The strategy by the Confederate government to conscript skilled railroad workers into military also impacted on