Term for raids that tore up rail...

[Pelham4444]

Iam trying to remember the term that was used for a raid that targeted rails. Not the term for the torn rails like "Sherman Neckties". This was a word for the act itself. Like the term "foraging" or "skirmish" . It was in many books I read from the library when I worked there. I only have a few books on the civil war.


Ive looked in the terms section and did a search here and on Google. It has been on the tip of my tongue for weeks now. Anyone know?

 

[Patrick H]

I don't know but you've got my curiosity tweaked up. I'll be watching your thread for the answer.

 

[DaveBrt]

You probably mean "tap" -- the Yankees tapped the line just north of town.

 

[GS]

Marauders?

 

[Booner]

Grierson's back!

 

[UCVRelics]

I have seen the term "torpedo" used in the past in reference to the destroying railroads and bridges.

 

[UCVRelics]

I have seen the term torpedo the railroad used many times.
While armor might protect rolling stock from projectiles, explosive devices planted in the roadbed posed serious threats to trains of all types. These torpedoes (known today as mines) included simple artillery shells with percussion fuses as well as specially constructed pressure-detonated contrivances filled with gunpowder. When buried in the roadbed under a crosstie, torpedoes could be detonated by a passing train. Some torpedoes, especially those using artillery shells, lifted locomotives completely from the tracks and shattered freight cars.

Because of the many hazards that might be present on the tracks, some Federal locomotives pushed loaded flatcars over the rails to inspect the tracks or to detonate torpedoes before the valuable locomotive passed over them. These flatcars, known today as control cars, pusher cars or monitor cars (not to be confused with railroad monitors), also protected locomotives from rams.