Vital Rails: The Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina
By H. David Stone
(October 2008 Civil War News)

Illustrated, introduction, bibliography, endnotes, index, 360 pp., 2008. University of South Carolina Press, 1600 Hampton St., 5th Floor, Columbia, SC 29208, $39.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Richard J. Blumberg
Richard J. Blumberg has a master’s degree with honors in Civil War studies. He is past president of the Houston Civil War Round Table and is a speaker for that group and the Society of Women in the Civil War. He also reviews books for the Blue and Gray Education Society.

Review:
Many people consider the Civil War as the seminal event in American history. One reason for this arose from the concept of massing troops and supplies into small concentrated areas via rapid transport. Railroad networks throughout the United States thus became an integral part of military strategy and economics during this time for both the Union and the Confederacy.

H. David Stone’s Vital Rails is a solid case study of how many railroads throughout the South were conceived, functioned and ultimately lived out their purpose and died.

Railroads influenced many aspects of the Southern way of life. These influences allowed isolated towns to become prosperous economic centers. The economics of most railroads were almost always directly related to the political influences in the area. Port towns became military transportation hubs. Major railroad terminals became strategic targets. Stone discusses several of these in his book.

Isolated cities could become economically prosperous if goods and services could be transported quickly and efficiently. This was the idea that gave birth to the Charleston & Savannah Railroad. Like many railroads, this start-up line faced a variety of obstacles.

Money was scarce. Raw materials were extremely hard to get. Citizens of the towns were split in their desires to have a railroad run through their towns. Increased traffic also brought increased crime and tended to spoil the rural agrarian lifestyle many Southerners were accustomed to.

The Charleston & Savannah Railroad was built prior to the Civil War. As war became imminent, the local governments became stronger supporters of the railroad as a means of providing transport and military defense of their areas.

However, prior to the war, financing was very difficult and political obstacles were rampant. Like any major undertaking, there were conventions, assemblies and debates about the merits of creating a railroad line that would ultimately connect the northeast portion of the Confederacy, with the Gulf Coast.

The Charleston & Savannah provided many lessons that are still used in military logistics today. The same premise of getting the right materials to the right place at the right time is still the major ingredient to a successful logistical campaign. This became especially evident after the Union capture of Port Royal in late 1861.

Stone’s book is very effective in summarizing the faults of many of the South’s railroads. A new country with limited monetary resources and raw materials frequently made poor choices in how each was employed. Not only did the South have a limited rail network, it also had limited resources to build or repair track or rolling stock.

Additionally, the newly created Confederate government failed to appreciate railroads’ military significance early on in the war. As a result the synergies that might have been created between civilian and military goals for the railroads were lost in political posturing and conflicting agendas.

During the latter portions of the Civil War, the Charleston & Savannah became an integral part of the coastal defense network for the Confederacy. After years of occupation and mishaps, the Confederate government finally began to understand all of the different ways railroads could be used.

As a result of experience, sound management practices and a little luck, the Charleston & Savannah Railroad remained intact until 1865. Only after Gen. William T. Sherman captured Savannah in December 1864, were Union forces able to break the line.

Unfortunately for most of these railroads, including the Charleston & Savannah, it may have come too late. Money was simply not available for construction of rolling stock or repairs to damaged track.

The track was not only damaged by military operations but also by excessive use of equipment that was heavier than the rail network and its ballast material could support.

Union forces had no real desire to assist in the economic reconstruction of this area. As a result, the Charleston & Savannah Railroad went through bankruptcies and management changes before ultimately ceasing operation.

Stone’s book is an easy read and provides readers with a good overview of how military rail operations work. The bibliography and endnotes are solid. This book is recommended for those who want to learn more about military logistics or have a fascination with trains.