Dinkiest Pontoon Bridge Ever!

[JPK Huson 1863]

Two photos, if anyone is a pontoon bridge addict. Guilty- am not exactly laughing, these bridges had to be put in place regardless of location, this one is just a little crazy looking compared to those soaring affairs across the James and Potomac- great armies, artillery and caissons, cavalry and general's horses, infantry massing- we've seen it all. Then there's this. It's a little adorable, sorry. Talk about an un-war kind of word.

North Anna

 

[TinCan]

That's a river?? In Texas we'd call that a crik!

 

[1SGDan]

I don't think the top photo represents a pontoon bridge. It looks like an expedient bridge made by felling trees across the waterway, limbing the top branches away, and decking with whatever material could be had, usually siding from nearby structures. The unequal lengths of the decking, at least to me, would remove the possibility of these being standard chess planks. This bridge may have been for foot traffic only since it does not appear to be substantial enough for artillery or wagons.

 

[Allie]

I swear it looks like they're trying to ford the gully created by runoff in my backyard. I'd still rather that than ford the creek and risk getting bit by a water moccasin!

 

[Northern Light]

I don't think the top photo represents a pontoon bridge. It looks like an expedient bridge made by felling trees across the waterway, limbing the top branches away, and decking with whatever material could be had, usually siding from nearby structures. The unequal lengths of the decking, at least to me, would remove the possibility of these being standard chess planks. This bridge may have been for foot traffic only since it does not appear to be substantial enough for artillery or wagons.

I wondered about that one! Usually you can see the pontoons sticking out.

 

[Nathanb1]

Like any sane horse would set foot on that. Frankly, no sane person would, either. Know how those "swinging bridges" move when more than one person is on it? Yeah. That feeling.

This is probably one of those, "Sorry, nope. You'll just have to bayonet me right here. I ain't movin'."

 

[Patrick H]

I love the photos, but it's kind of hard to accept than anyone found them photo-worthy in the first place. Still, I'm glad they did. It might not be a wide creek, but I'll bet it was deep and swift, and it's obvious that someone thought the little bridge was important.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

To me, that first image in the OP is more reminiscent of a corduroy road than a pontoon bridge.

 

[Nathanb1]

I'm actually not being facetious for once....I'm sure it was easier and faster to build what look like flimsy bridges over a small creek than to dig artillery pieces out of the mud. After all, they're still looking for a couple of Santa Anna's cannon near San Jacinto!

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I've always, always been amazed at how they got any of the horses over any of the bridges- never rode one that wasn't convinced you were trying to kill it and told you. Pontoons must have been the most clattery things ever- a shod horse would scare itself right up a tree and take you with it, I'm pretty impressed with all of those shots.

I forget exactly where- was it Lee's retreat, where the engineers pontoon bridge consisted of all manner of craft? How in heck did that work, different sizes, up and down, across the river when it was still pretty darn high? Had to be built well enough to cross an entire army- although I think the infantry crossed in the water, the taller men passing the shorter, still had to get those wagons across. There's a bridge you'd have paid a ton to see.

Yes, why are they so interesting? Flatten me- must have photographers, too- this string of boats, a really well built road across them- THIS teeny one is just cute. Hee, sorry. We're used to those feats of engineering- the one on the James, where Mark Jenkins told me the schooners were there to apply tension- for some reason that seems incredible. Then this dear little thing.

Even more impressed with this ' other' kind of bridge the engineers came up with, GEE whiz, you cut down enough trees, lay planks across??? I'm with Allie, I'm swimming.

 

[Patrick H]

I've always, always been amazed at how they got any of the horses over any of the bridges- never rode one that wasn't convinced you were trying to kill it and told you. Pontoons must have been the most clattery things ever- a shod horse would scare itself right up a tree and take you with it, I'm pretty impressed with all of those shots.

I forget exactly where- was it Lee's retreat, where the engineers pontoon bridge consisted of all manner of craft? How in heck did that work, different sizes, up and down, across the river when it was still pretty darn high? Had to be built well enough to cross an entire army- although I think the infantry crossed in the water, the taller men passing the shorter, still had to get those wagons across. There's a bridge you'd have paid a ton to see.

Yes, why are they so interesting? Flatten me- must have photographers, too- this string of boats, a really well built road across them- THIS teeny one is just cute. Hee, sorry. We're used to those feats of engineering- the one on the James, where Mark Jenkins told me the schooners were there to apply tension- for some reason that seems incredible. Then this dear little thing.

Even more impressed with this ' other' kind of bridge the engineers came up with, GEE whiz, you cut down enough trees, lay planks across??? I'm with Allie, I'm swimming.

I have a hunch (and it's only a hunch) that an improvised crossing spot at this bridge was considered important due to local troop movements or something of that nature. Or, it's possible that the remains of a larger, better, but recently burned out bridge are just upstream or downstream from this location--just out of frame.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I have a hunch (and it's only a hunch) that an improvised crossing spot at this bridge was considered important due to local troop movements or something of that nature. Or, it's possible that the remains of a larger, better, but recently burned out bridge are just upstream or downstream from this location--just out of frame.

Bet that's a great hunch- makes you wonder what the troops said to each other when they saw one, too. " Are you kidding me? You want us to what? " Doesn't it look like something you made as a kid, building forts in the woods, fooling around down at the creek?

These improvised things do flatten me though. It's one of the reasons I got stuck on the engineers, when first getting stuck on the Civil War- this tendency to magically create something out of pretty much nothing. Moving entire armies from point A to B- along with every, single wagon, piece of artillery, horse- all the infantry, what it took to feed them, just beyond massive. That was their job, maybe one of the reasons pontoons always flatten me. I mean, even corduroy roads- can't imagine what it took to create ten feet of one of those much less a mile.

They could take 2 armies, everyone could have been as mad at each other as they wanted but they both would have been still duking it out at Bull Run if it hadn't been for the engineers.

 

[Northern Light]

Bet that's a great hunch- makes you wonder what the troops said to each other when they saw one, too. " Are you kidding me? You want us to what? " Doesn't it look like something you made as a kid, building forts in the woods, fooling around down at the creek?

These improvised things do flatten me though. It's one of the reasons I got stuck on the engineers, when first getting stuck on the Civil War- this tendency to magically create something out of pretty much nothing. Moving entire armies from point A to B- along with every, single wagon, piece of artillery, horse- all the infantry, what it took to feed them, just beyond massive. That was their job, maybe one of the reasons pontoons always flatten me. I mean, even corduroy roads- can't imagine what it took to create ten feet of one of those much less a mile.

They could take 2 armies, everyone could have been as mad at each other as they wanted but they both would have been still duking it out at Bull Run if it hadn't been for the engineers.

The Engineers are always the unsung heroes of any war. I would guess most of us could name ten artillery, infantry and cavalry leaders, probably even naval officers, off the top of our heads, but how many engineers? Heh... now you will all show me how wrong I am. No cheating,now!

 

[1SGDan]

The Engineers are always the unsung heroes of any war. I would guess most of us could name ten artillery, infantry and cavalry leaders, probably even naval officers, off the top of our heads, but how many engineers? Heh... now you will all show me how wrong I am. No cheating,now!

Robert E Lee
George Meade
Governuer Warren
William Smith
to name a few...

In fact many of the West Point Grad CW leaders started their military careers as engineers. In the company grade ranks I can name a couple of dozen but none that most have ever heard of.

 

[Northern Light]

Robert E Lee
George Meade
Governuer Warren
William Smith
to name a few...

In fact many of the West Point Grad CW leaders started their military careers as engineers. In the company grade ranks I can name a couple of dozen but none that most have ever heard of.

I meant who were acting as engineers during the War.

 

[ErnieMac]

Looking at the top photo I think the troops downed a couple of trees across the creek and used planks from nearby structures for the crosspieces to fashion a makeshift bridge. There's definitely men and maybe fires in the background. If the men stayed in that position a number of days this solution to bridging the creek sure beat getting your feet wet every time you had to cross.

 

[Northern Light]

That's a river?? In Texas we'd call that a crik!

"Cus everything is bigger in Texas?

 

[1SGDan]

I meant who were acting as engineers during the War.

For anyone interested here are a few interesting engineer characters worth some research:

William Innes -1st Michigan Engineers
Wesley Brainerd - 50th NY
Ira Spaulding - 50th NY
Gilbert Thompson - US Engineers
James C. Duane - US Engineers
Charles Turnbull - Topographical Engineers
Frederick Gerber - US Engineers
Barton Alexander - 50th NY
John Barnard - Engineer Brigade
Edward Serrell - 1st NY
James Sears - 1st NY
Daniel Woodbury- Eng Brigade
Cyrus Comstock - Army of the Potomac
Charles Stuart- 50th NY
William F. Patterson - Kentucky Engineers
J.W. Bissell - Engineers of the West

 

[TinCan]

"Cus everything is bigger in Texas?

Well yes.....especially tryin not to insult rivers by callin that thing one

 

[Northern Light]

Well yes.....especially tryin not to insult rivers by callin that thing one

Maybe it is wider at the mouth!