DaveBrt
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2010
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
It is well known that Lee and other army commanders were unwilling to allow the detail of men to support functions, like running railroads and making ordnance and quartermaster goods (though they eventually did detail some men). Rarely discussed is how many men were required to provide those support functions. Below are tables showing the number of employees for two busy Virginia railroads. Both were considered vital roads and were a bit more successful in securing employees than roads farther from Richmond.
The Richmond & Danville RR started the war as just a feeder of agricultural goods to Richmond. By the end of the war, it was the vital connection between the North Carolina railroads and the Virginia railroads, making use of the Piedmont Railroad (owned and built by the Richmond & Danville RR and completed in the late spring 1864). The Piedmont RR numbers are NOT included on this table. Notice the great increase of employees in 1864, with car cleaners, car overhaulers, carpenters, greasers and watchmen. The North Side Shops were built on the north shore of the river at Danville in the summer of 1862, when the company had made a quick move to Danville to prevent loss in case Richmond was taken, and remained in operation, eventually being the shop supporting the Piedmont RR.
The Richmond & Petersburg RR was essential from day 1, but even its workforce doubled as the war continued. The increased number of machinists is because of the necessity of making repairs without replacement parts -- everything had to be made on site.
Any other changes in employees catch your attention? Seems that for two vital roads, the number of men required to run them was rather minimal.
The Richmond & Danville RR started the war as just a feeder of agricultural goods to Richmond. By the end of the war, it was the vital connection between the North Carolina railroads and the Virginia railroads, making use of the Piedmont Railroad (owned and built by the Richmond & Danville RR and completed in the late spring 1864). The Piedmont RR numbers are NOT included on this table. Notice the great increase of employees in 1864, with car cleaners, car overhaulers, carpenters, greasers and watchmen. The North Side Shops were built on the north shore of the river at Danville in the summer of 1862, when the company had made a quick move to Danville to prevent loss in case Richmond was taken, and remained in operation, eventually being the shop supporting the Piedmont RR.
The Richmond & Petersburg RR was essential from day 1, but even its workforce doubled as the war continued. The increased number of machinists is because of the necessity of making repairs without replacement parts -- everything had to be made on site.
Any other changes in employees catch your attention? Seems that for two vital roads, the number of men required to run them was rather minimal.