ipl-logo

Why Is The Railroad Important In The Civil War

699 Words3 Pages

The development of the railroads was a giant leap forward in constructing America. The railroads allowed for easier transportation. The construction of railroads offered many a chance to work. Railroads were a big factor in the turnout of the Civil war. Without the development of railroads, America would not have become what it is today. The railroad played a huge part in the economy and in the war. Many people were able to build their lives because of how easy it was to move objects. Before the transcontinental railroad was made the way goods were transported was by sea around South America. The railroad stretched 2000 miles through the America compared to the 18,000 miles needed for ships to travel.(“Digital History”) With this shorter distance allowed for more people to be able to obtain goods. People on the east coast could sell their goods westward. Some goods would have been much harder to obtain and rather pricy, however with the railroad expansion these goods where cheaper and easier to get a …show more content…

Before the start of the Civil war there were just over 200 railroad systems built. (“The First General”) The railroad allowed for easy transportation for troops. The South was the first to realize the importance of the railroad during the war. Fights were often over major railroad points. One example of when the railroads were of use was after the Battle of Chickamauga, Ulysses S. Grant was able to get food and supplies to his troops.(“The First General”) The more railroad hubs caused for more transportation of goods. The increased speed of shipping over troops and goods allowed for the North to win the war.(“Effects of Railroads”) The increased travel speed meant faster resources. The North had the factories to construct more advanced trains giving them and advantage during the war.(“HowStuffWorks”) The war was decided through who controlled more of the railroad

Show More
Related

  • What Role Did Baltimore And Ohio Railroad Play In The Civil War

    651 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad played a significant role in the Civil War. It contributed to the victory of the North, and the end of slavery. This is important because it provided freedom to the African Americans. If the south would have won, it would have changed history dramatically. As Donald McCraig once said, "The Civil War has a tremendous moral and emotional force" (Wise Old Sayings 1).

    Read More

  • What Role Did Railroads Play In The American Civil War

    860 Words  | 4 Pages

    Not only did the railroads allow for supplies to be moved faster it also allowed for troops and reinforcements to be moved faster. Ammunition and food could be sent to soldiers and generals who had diminishing supplies this meant that battles could last longer. Most battles lasting about 2-3 days and a few lasting almost a month. The fact that railroads played a huge role

    Read More

  • How Did The Railroad Contribute To The Civil War

    848 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even though the railroad existed before the great division between the north and the south and it mainly contributed in providing goods for both sides, the invention of the railroad greatly contributed to the civil war. The first railroad created in the US was in 1827 and their major role was to transport goods from the North to the South and back. As slaves became more abundant in the South and less present in the North a war began on the idea of slavery. The railroad caused this Civil War by bringing goods to only one side and keeping their advantage. It went from having different point of views to all out battles that started with starvation and isolation, but led to death and separation.

    Read More

  • How Did Westward Expansion Lead The Road To Success

    450 Words  | 2 Pages

    America today would not be the same without westward expansion, the railroad and the American dream. Westward Expansion is the all American story “Cowboys and Indians “is the first thing that comes to mind when people say America and without westward expansions that would have never happened. Without Railroads transporting items and people took thousands of dollars and a weeks upon weeks. “The railroads were the arteries of America” Tom

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion Research Paper

    1233 Words  | 5 Pages

    Without the railroads, development and settling of the West would not have been possible. Although the railroads achieved in

    Read More

  • Captain Of Industry Dbq Analysis

    925 Words  | 4 Pages

    It would be harder to get from place to place if there was never the Transcontinental Railroad, which surely would have influenced the ideas of other methods of transportation, like cars and planes. One of the most important points from Document F quotes: “Had it not been for these captains of industry, the free world might have lost the First World War and most certainly have lost the second.” They changed and protected the U.S. and the right of freedom with their work, and that’s

    Read More

  • Causes Of Growth And Conflict In America From 1865 To 1914

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    To contrast, the railroads not only helped with coal, cattle, and steel, but also with the growth of cities. Many major cities were near major resources and railroads. The growth in America, were deeply dependent on railroad companies, like the Pacific, to create positive change and increases of products and resources in the American

    Read More

  • Economic Growth Dbq

    847 Words  | 4 Pages

    Goods were shipped faster and at lower cost, and more land opened up for cotton growers and other farmers. Moreover, another technological development that influenced the growth of the United States economy was the development of railroads. Railroads were “shrinking distances, dramatically lowering costs, opening new markets, and increasing competition” (Doc 9). Railroads were basically essential for keeping the economy in balance. They supplied cities and towns with food, fuel, building materials, and access to markets.

    Read More

  • Post Civil War Dbq

    1017 Words  | 5 Pages

    During this time period there were great technological advancements. One of these advancements was railroads. Railroads were a positive change because it helped transport people and goods across the country. Businesses depended greatly upon transportation in order to transport their goods. Despite the positives of railroads, there were negatives.

    Read More

  • Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper Outline

    1080 Words  | 5 Pages

    The rail system allowed people and manufactured goods to be transported quickly and for long distances. This was significant for who had migrated due to the discovery of resources such as iron and gold (Railroads and Westward Expansion,

    Read More

  • Civil War: The Role Of Transportation In The United States

    1237 Words  | 5 Pages

    Right at the start of the war the use of the railroad was almost always military. For instance, a lot of the generals were even stationed at rail yards. The railroad was significant during the Civil War because it helped both sides transport supplies throughout the United States. The railroad was important long before the war started and is still important today. Before the railroad was built, the only way of travel was by wagon or on foot.

    Read More

  • How Did The Civil War Affect The Economy

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    The War Between the States was one of America’s greatest wars—it was the fight for freedom, but it also impacted the economy. Because of this, America’s labor and transportation systems both took a significant turn during the Civil War, impacting America’s economy forever. In the end, the American Civil War greatly benefitted our transportation system, but devastated the South’s labor force. For a war to be fought strategically well, there first must be a form of simple, yet speedy, transportation. That is where the transcontinental railroad came in.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Impact Of Railroads In America

    821 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.

    Read More

  • How Did The Railroads Affect The Economy

    891 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first way that the economy was impacted was that with the ease and efficiency of the railroads, they created a large demand for goods and labor because they needed a lot of people to help build the railroads and also needed a large quantity of steel for the rails and wood for the railroad ties. Secondly the railroads created a huge national market because of the simplicity of delivering goods from place to place. The railroads helped the people in even the most rural place prosper with the cost efficient transportation of the trains. From 1830 to 1861, the United States laid aproximately 30,000 miles of railroad track, which led to an increase in demand for coal which was used to produce iron for the

    Read More

  • Transportation In The 1800s Essay

    558 Words  | 3 Pages

    Railroads served to support the armies by defending soldiers from attacks of enemies. According to John Elwood Clark in the article Railroads in the Civil War states, “Soldiers before the Civil War thought of interior lines in terms of space, or distance, although geography sometimes conferred an additional advantage. The Civil War began to modify the concept, increasingly framing the advantage in terms of time, as railroads and steamboats improved travel speed and freight loads; today’s soldiers call it ‘‘superior lateral communications. ’’(Clark 28) Railroads improved war efforts significantly by conveniencing soldiers

    Read More

More about Why Is The Railroad Important In The Civil War

Open Document