Railroad Engineer Brigade

[Stryker65]

Hey all,
I read recently in Battles and Leaders Volume 6, page 466 that there was a kind of "Railroad Brigade" that operated under the Secretary of War, attached to the Army of Virginia and Army of the Potomac. It seems to have been under Herman Haupt, who was perhaps an acting BG at the time. The unit fixed railroads to compensate for the work Jackson's soldiers did to destroy them, in 1862. Any idea on the composition of this brigade, and any other info? Haupt's article is really in-depth, but there should be some other resources.
-Stryker

 

[Lubliner]

I found some information here: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=148862
And also a brief excerpt from the site that follows, here:
"George McClellan had assigned Miles command of the "Railroad Brigade" in March, 1862, after a court of inquiry had cleared Miles of drunkenness charges at the First Battle of Bull Run. Miles then established his headquarters at Harpers Ferry, where he performed the duties of a department commander, using his 6,000 – 15,000 men to patrol 380 miles of railroad, stretching from Washington to Baltimore to the South Branch of the Potomac. Miles also had combat experience, engaging in the defense of Harpers Ferry during Jackson's Valley Campaign."

Stonewall Jackson's Triumph at Harpers Ferry

Civil War History, a summary of Stonewall Jackson's Triumph at Harpers Ferry

www.battlefields.org

One of the major problems the Union had was dealing with the B&O Railroad as a supply line along the borders from Ohio into DC. Early on it was formed into a Military District and the West Virginia terrain became a raiding ground for confederate and Union troopers. Up through to the very close of the war the rail lines had to be continually guarded with outposts all along, and setbacks occurred even up through March of 1965.
Lubliner.

 

[Stryker65]

I found some information here: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=148862
And also a brief excerpt from the site that follows, here:
"George McClellan had assigned Miles command of the "Railroad Brigade" in March, 1862, after a court of inquiry had cleared Miles of drunkenness charges at the First Battle of Bull Run. Miles then established his headquarters at Harpers Ferry, where he performed the duties of a department commander, using his 6,000 – 15,000 men to patrol 380 miles of railroad, stretching from Washington to Baltimore to the South Branch of the Potomac. Miles also had combat experience, engaging in the defense of Harpers Ferry during Jackson's Valley Campaign."

Stonewall Jackson's Triumph at Harpers Ferry

Civil War History, a summary of Stonewall Jackson's Triumph at Harpers Ferry

www.battlefields.org

One of the major problems the Union had was dealing with the B&O Railroad as a supply line along the borders from Ohio into DC. Early on it was formed into a Military District and the West Virginia terrain became a raiding ground for confederate and Union troopers. Up through to the very close of the war the rail lines had to be continually guarded with outposts all along, and setbacks occurred even up through March of 1965.
Lubliner.

I think that's a different Railroad Brigade. The one I found was mainly engaged in engineering duties, this one seems to be more of railroad defense. As far as I know, Herman Haupt's Railroad Brigade did not have any combatant troops.

 

[DaveBrt]

The Union army quickly realized it needed help in a lot of non-army areas and hired civilians to run those special fields. Haupt and McCallum were hired to run the railroads. Haupt was a practical railroad man -- he did whatever would get the railroad job done quickly and most efficiently. He had graduated from West Point, but refused a commission -- he was generally treated as a BG. His most famous work was supporting the AOP during the Fredericksburg and 2nd Manassas period. When Pope made him mad enough and had lost enough rollingstock, Haupt quit and went home to continue his railroading.

 

[Stryker65]

The Union army quickly realized it needed help in a lot of non-army areas and hired civilians to run those special fields. Haupt and McCallum were hired to run the railroads. Haupt was a practical railroad man -- he did whatever would get the railroad job done quickly and most efficiently. He had graduated from West Point, but refused a commission -- he was generally treated as a BG. His most famous work was supporting the AOP during the Fredericksburg and 2nd Manassas period. When Pope made him mad enough and had lost enough rollingstock, Haupt quit and went home to continue his railroading.

McCallum ... that would be Daniel C. McCallum, correct? He did accept a BG commission, iirc, and served with ... the Army of the Cumberland?