Weldon railroad response by Lee

[atlantis]

Lee responded to the union occupation of part of Weldon line with an effort to retake the line, it failed. After that failure was any effort to build a bypass line considered or attempted. Asking because if you use wagons to bring supplies from where confederate control ends to the ANV it is probable the CS quartermaster department doesn't have the wagons/horses for such a large, prolonged resupply effort. Think the union rupture created a gap between rail line and ANV of 30 miles later increased to 40 miles.
I think Lee had 60,000 men at time of Weldon rupture so could you math wizards'/quartermaster experts calculate how many wagons/horses were needed to make up the difference.

 

[DaveBrt]

I'd like to know, from period documents, exactly the route this bypass took. Whatever the numbers, the bypass was used until the evacuation of Petersburg, though it must have been a lot of work for a small addition to Lee's supplies.

 

[atlantis]

I'd like to know, from period documents, exactly the route this bypass took. Whatever the numbers, the bypass was used until the evacuation of Petersburg, though it must have been a lot of work for a small addition to Lee's supplies.

DaveBrt, I was hoping you had some documents on if the confederates attempted or at least considered building a rail bypass. My understanding and it is limited is the wagon train that replaced the loss of the Weldon track could not meet supply needs.
As for the wagon train route not sure but the fall line runs south from Petersburg so west of that the land becomes hilly which isn't going to help.

 

[DaveBrt]

DaveBrt, I was hoping you had some documents on if the confederates attempted or at least considered building a rail bypass. My understanding and it is limited is the wagon train that replaced the loss of the Weldon track could not meet supply needs.
As for the wagon train route not sure but the fall line runs south from Petersburg so west of that the land becomes hilly which isn't going to help.

The South knew it did not have the resources of manpower, iron and rolling stock to build a bypass In their mind, the Piedmont RR was the bypass and it was already built. Had there been more rolling stock and manpower, the Piedmont could have replaced the wagon train. Unfortunately, the country RR of the Richmond & Danville was unable to handle the job of building the Piedmont and running the two-railroad line efficiently (serious progress was only made when Dodamead became the Piedmont Superintendent, at Sims' demand).

 

[wausaubob]

I think the Kautz/Wilson raid got on the Danville road and caused some damage. The railroad superintendent later stated the damage was considerable, though it was later repaired. Was it the Danville road or the Southside road that the raid damaged? The problem with the indirect routes is that the are longer. And with train speeds steadily declining as the rails wore out, the existing engines probably could not keep up.

 

[bschulte]

I'd like to know, from period documents, exactly the route this bypass took. Whatever the numbers, the bypass was used until the evacuation of Petersburg, though it must have been a lot of work for a small addition to Lee's supplies.

I might have this somewhere among unexplored portions of my collection, but generally the route ran up to Stony Creek Station, the northernmost railroad terminus until it was taken, and then moved west before turning northwest to the Boydton Plank Road. The Federals finally raided it and burned it on December 1, 1864, after a few more tentative scouts and recons in that direction earlier: https://www.beyondthecrater.com/new...ars-ago-today/150-18641201-scout-stony-creek/

 

[atlantis]

I might have this somewhere among unexplored portions of my collection, but generally the route ran up to Stony Creek Station, the northernmost railroad terminus until it was taken, and then moved west before turning northwest to the Boydton Plank Road. The Federals finally raided it and burned it on December 1, 1864, after a few more tentative scouts and recons in that direction earlier: https://www.beyondthecrater.com/new...ars-ago-today/150-18641201-scout-stony-creek/

What condition was the Boydton plank road in.

 

[jcrook]

After Union forces cut the Weldon Railroad north of Stony Creek Station in August 1864, Confederate supplies from North Carolina were carried by train to Stony Creek Station, about 16–18 miles south of Petersburg. There, the army unloaded them onto wagons and hauled them to Dinwiddie Court House, then north along the Boydton Plank Road into Petersburg.

 

[DaveBrt]

What condition was the Boydton plank road in.

Plank roads required a lot of maintenance, especially on wet soils. The local area slaves had long before been moved away from Union raids and incursions, so it is unlikely that anyone but soldiers would be available to keep the road up -- ie it was in bad shape from lack of maintenance.