Importance Of Railroads In The Civil War

Lee Taylor
HIS434
Dr. Gannon
25 April 2008
As the American Civil fight began in 1861 the use of railroads throughout the United States was in its initial stages of development. The idea of locomotives running on a pre-laid subdue of leaf blade rails for transportation had only been familiar to the United States since the later(a) 1820’s. Many of the early railroads served as connectors for small cities to transport goods to and from locations. During the 1850’s railroad construction in the United States underwent tremendous growth.[1] These all of a sudden railroads connecting nearby cities turned into long distance routes. By the get down of the Civil War many crowing cities in the brotherhood such as Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago were all connected. The large southern cities were connected as well Charleston, Memphis, Nashville, Mobile.[2] The superior industrial capabilities of the North began to show with the growth of railroads prior to and during the Civil War.
At the onset of the war it was known that the North was far more(prenominal) industrialise then the states of the South. The northern half of the country was an change society foc apply on the development of large factories to modernise goods at mass quantities.



On the other hand southern society was based on labor intensive soil a few crop, the best money maker creation Cotton, King Cotton. With slavery, a source of free labor, there was no need to build factories, therefore retarding the industrial growth of the South. An industrialized society and the development of the railroad system came hand in hand. Factories were a must to build the locomotives and the steel rails used in the building of railroads.
By 1860 nearly two-thirds of the nations railroad track was located in the North compared to the One-third possessed by the South. “In the North, the railroad had expanded to allow easy introduction throughout the twenty-two states. The movement of goods and supplies...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com



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