The Horrors of Southern Prisons During the War of the Rebellion, From 1861 to 1865 #270436

For the benefit of those who never saw soldiers tear up and destroy a railroad, aslight account here may interest them. One would naturally think the process would be slow, but it was done as fast as a horse could run. One set of men with hand spikes would turn over one length of rails, other sets back and forward would turn over other lengths as far ahead and back as the eye could reach. The ties were then easily knocked off, piled up cross ways, the rails placed on top and the pile set on fire. The heat would soften the center of the rails so that the ends with their weight would bend to the ground and thus destroy them for further use. As soon as the pile was fired, that party would rush for their horses, mount and ride as fast as their horses could run until ahead of all at work, sometimes two miles distant. A constant stream of other squads would be riding still further ahead and so continue until the desired amount of track was torn up. We tore up there about ten miles of track in one hour. We then all returned to the village and started on our journey east.