Rail Resources in the Civil War

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the ability of President Lincoln to harness the power of the U.S. transportation infrastructure was essential to eventual victory on the part of the Union forces. The paper looks at Herman Haupt's role in controlling the railroads and maintaining the war effort and shows how the ensuing end of the war and reconstruction cemented both the need and the ability of the US government to control this essential developmental resource.

From the Paper:

"One of the most important issues with regard to armed conflict is resources, who has them or can get them and who does not and cannot. It would seem that to a large degree resources can make the difference between the winner and the loser in any regional or international conflict. In fact resources are so crucial that most use the availability of resources, rather than the righteousness of the cause as one of the fundamental decision factors of whether to enter into armed conflict at all. In the case of civil wars the issue frequently becomes more complicated, as the control of such resources, as they exists and can be manipulated, determines to some degree the outcome."

Sample of Sources Used:

• *Basler, Roy P., ed. Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings. Cleveland, OH: World Publishing, 1946.
• Black, Robert C. The Railroads of the Confederacy. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
• Fite, Emerson David. Social and Industrial Conditions in the North during the Civil War. Williamstown, MA: Corner House, 1976.
• Gable, Dr. Christopher R. "Railroad Generalship: Foundations of Civil War Strategy " at: http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/gabel4/gabel4.asp
• *Harris, William C. Confederate Secretary of War Confederate Secretary of War. Tuscaloosa, AL: Confederate Pub,. Co., 1962.

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