History of Railroads
Map of the Manassas Gap Railroad Photo From: Library of Congress Online
Trains introduced new innovations in the continuing search for the easiest way to move large loads of passengers and goods quickly and efficiently from one place to another. The train linked together several cars or vehicles into one long caravan. This linking was made possible by the use of tracks or roads of rail to guide the train behind the pulling engine. The locomotive was thought of as concentrating the pulling power of many horses into one entity, and thus rated by degree of "horse power".
Pioneering and westward expansion also fueled the growth of railroads while railroads, in turn, fueled pioneering and expansion. Pioneers' movement West created demand for means of transportation to new territories. That demand rose in 1848 when America acquired California at the end of the Mexican War and a man discovered gold in this future state. The demand was eventually met in part by railroads, which increased expansion by fostering migration and adding railroad laborers to the population of pioneers.
Between 1850 and 1857, the Appalachian Mountains were crossed by five railway lines linking the Midwest and the East. In the late 1850s, a continuous line connected the lower Mississippi River with the southern Atlantic seaboard. And, on May 10, 1869, laborers completed the transcontinental railroad, linking the continent.
Settlers of the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century developed large-scale dry-farming methods. These farming techniques required new farm equipment. As the equipment became available, more land came under cultivation between 1870 and 1900 than in the previous 250 years, bringing the American frontier to a close. Trains supported this agricultural boom. Railroads were necessary to transport the farms' harvests to the cities. At the same time, railroads also supported an industrial boom fueled by the exploitation of natural resources. Like farmers, mining and logging companies needed a way to transport their products to industrial centers and found their need met by trains.
Concerning the Manassas Railroad, the capturing of this vital junction played a big role in Virginia's history. In July of 1861, this tiny railroad community became one of the most important places in American history as the site of historic battles in the Civil War. Both Union General Irvin McDowell and Confederate General J.T. Beauregard recognized the importance of the town’s location: by capturing the railroad junction, the Union would take possession of the best overland route to Richmond, the Confederate capital. The Confederacy was prepared to defend the junction at all costs. Confederate soldiers, under the command of Generals Joseph E. Johnston and Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson marched to the site of the First Battle of Bull Run through the Thoroughfare Gap in the Bull Run Mountains.
Pioneering and westward expansion also fueled the growth of railroads while railroads, in turn, fueled pioneering and expansion. Pioneers' movement West created demand for means of transportation to new territories. That demand rose in 1848 when America acquired California at the end of the Mexican War and a man discovered gold in this future state. The demand was eventually met in part by railroads, which increased expansion by fostering migration and adding railroad laborers to the population of pioneers.
Between 1850 and 1857, the Appalachian Mountains were crossed by five railway lines linking the Midwest and the East. In the late 1850s, a continuous line connected the lower Mississippi River with the southern Atlantic seaboard. And, on May 10, 1869, laborers completed the transcontinental railroad, linking the continent.
Settlers of the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century developed large-scale dry-farming methods. These farming techniques required new farm equipment. As the equipment became available, more land came under cultivation between 1870 and 1900 than in the previous 250 years, bringing the American frontier to a close. Trains supported this agricultural boom. Railroads were necessary to transport the farms' harvests to the cities. At the same time, railroads also supported an industrial boom fueled by the exploitation of natural resources. Like farmers, mining and logging companies needed a way to transport their products to industrial centers and found their need met by trains.
Concerning the Manassas Railroad, the capturing of this vital junction played a big role in Virginia's history. In July of 1861, this tiny railroad community became one of the most important places in American history as the site of historic battles in the Civil War. Both Union General Irvin McDowell and Confederate General J.T. Beauregard recognized the importance of the town’s location: by capturing the railroad junction, the Union would take possession of the best overland route to Richmond, the Confederate capital. The Confederacy was prepared to defend the junction at all costs. Confederate soldiers, under the command of Generals Joseph E. Johnston and Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson marched to the site of the First Battle of Bull Run through the Thoroughfare Gap in the Bull Run Mountains.