Biography of Thomas R. Sharp

Compiled by the National Archivists before the microfilming of the Civil War records.

 Entries in blue are my additions and references ("Diary" is from the T. R. Sharp Diary, 1861-1863, located at Virginia Tech University; "Tredegar Shop Records" are located at the Library of Virginia)

April 2, 1861 Mentioned as a candidate to become the Superintendent of the Richmond Gas Works
NP, RD 4-2-61
Thomas R. Sharp -- Captain & Assistant Quarter Master; Superintendent of Rail Road
June 18, 1861 Appointed an Agent of the Quartermaster Department Confederate States Army and instructed by the Quarter Master General to proceed to the Baltimore & Ohio RR at Harpers Ferry or any other point, and return to the line of the Manassas Gap RR any Locomotives, cars or other RR machinery or material that could be secured.  (Diary)  
NA, QM 6-18-61
NA, QM 6-18A-61
NA, QM 6-18B-61
LVA, TRED 6-25-61
NP, RD 7-20-61
July 25, 1861 80th Baltimore & Ohio RR car reached Strasburg, Va.  (Diary)
August 2, 1861 Departed Leesburg, Va. for Piedmont Depot {Manassas Gap RR} with two Baltimore & Ohio RR locomotives  (Diary)
NP, RD 9-2-61
August 10, 1861 Assistance requested for his present venture 
B1, QM 8-10-61
August 29, 1861 Secretary of War mentions Mr. T. R. Sharp, agent of Quarter Master Department
September 4, 1861 Lt. Col. Ashby, commanding near Harper's Ferry, mentions the detail from his troops to protect Mr. Sharp, now removing engines, etc. from Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. 
OR Series 1, Vol. 5, Page 859
September 6, 1861 Detail of troops ordered as guard to the part near Winchester under Capt. T. R. Sharp, Acting Quarter Master
September 11, 1861 Made a contract with the President of the Winchester & Potomac RR to supply 3,000 tons of rail  
NA, QM 12-11-61
September 18, 1861 Requested by Tredegar to help them get old iron rails from Martinsburg 
LVA, TRED 9-18-61
LVA, TRED 9-19-61
LVA, TRED 10-18-61
LVA, TRED 10-23-61
LVA, TRED 11-26-61
October 3, 1861 Accepted position of Chief Engineer of Winchester & Potomac RR  (Diary; See LVA, TRED 10-23-61)
October 5, 1861 Directed by the Quarter Master General to send to Richmond all the Baltimore & Ohio RR cars he can for use on the Virginia Central RR  
NA, QM 10-5A-61
October 11, 1861 Issued "Public Property" to the Manassas Gap RR. {Property must have been Baltimore & Ohio RR material}  
NA, QM 10-11-61
October 15, 1861 Appointed, from Virginia, Captain & Assistant Quarter Master, to report to the Quarter Master General, accepted the same date.  (Diary)
October 14, 1861 Delivered the Alexandria, Loudon & Hampshire RR locomotive C. P. Manning (renamed General Johnston) to the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
December 12, 1861 Issued 5 locomotives and a large amount of material and tools to the Orange & Alexandria RR {Like the Manassas Gap RR, this road had lost its shops when Alexandria was captured in early 1861. The locomotives are Baltimore & Ohio RR equipment and the rest of the issue must have also been from the B&O}  
NA, O&A 12-12-61
December 21, 1861 Ordered by Major Ashe to turn over supplies to the Orange & Alexandria RR  
NA, O&A 12-21-61
VALLEY DISTRICT
November 4, 1861 to February 21, 1862 General Jackson, commanding the Valley District, says that during the illness of Major Harman, Chief Quarter Master, his duties devolved upon Capt. T. R. Sharp
December 1, 1861 Issued railroad rails and materials to the Winchester & Potomac RR  
NA, W&P 12-1-61
NA, QM 12-1-61
December 2, 1861 General Jackson mentions Capt. Sharp, Assistant Quarter Master, who is removing track near Martinsburg.  
OR Series 1, Vol. 5, Page 976
December 5-6, 1861 Removed Baltimore & Ohio RR cars from Harpers Ferry, Va.  (Diary)
December 31, 1861 Appointed Acting Chief Quarter Master of the Valley District by General Jackson  (Diary)
1862 In making a report concerning expenditures of 2nd Quarter, Capt. Sharp says, "I acted only under orders of the Quarter Master General and reported to him. I regarded him my commanding officer." He also says, "Having been ordered to establish shops for repairing locomotives and cars,..."
January 25, 1862 Directed by the Quarter Master General to resume his operations against the equipment of the Baltimore & Ohio RR as soon as possible  
NA, QM 1-25-62
February 1, 1862 Ordered by Quartermaster General to complete a railroad from a point to Centreville, Va.  (Diary)  
NA, MG 2-3-62
February ?, 1862 Purchased 3 locomotive axles from Tredegar Iron Works and had them sent to the Virginia Central RR shops {certainly for the repair of Baltimore & Ohio RR locomotives} (Tredegar Shop Records)
March 1, 1862 Appointed Military Superintendent of the Military RR (to Centreville)  (Diary)
March 9, 1862 Departed Manassas on last train as General Johnston evacuates the Manassas/Centreville position  (Diary)
March 12, 1862 Accepted the position of General Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR  (Diary)
March 13, 1862 Relieved of position as Superintendent of Military RR  (Diary)
March 15, 1862 Assigned to duty in the Quarter Master General's Office  (Diary)
March 17, 1862 Ordered to Weldon, N. C. by the Quarter Master General  (Diary)
April 1, 1862 Directed by General Johnston to collect convicts and slaves to lengthen sidings on the Virginia Central RR so that troop trains could pass each other  
NA, VC 4-1-62
April 4-5, 1862 Hauled Manassas Gap RR locomotive No. 3 through Richmond and placed it on the Richmond & York River RR
April 6, 1862 Fell into a culvert at the Virginia Central RR depot in Richmond and broke his left leg  (Diary)
April 23, 1862 Returned to work at the Quarter Master General's Office, on crutches  (Diary)
NP, RD 4-7-62
April 24, 1862 Virginia Central RR ordered to turn over to Sharp all Baltimore & Ohio RR and Manassas Gap RR locomotives and cars not required for Government transportation on the Virginia Central RR  
NA, QM 4-24-62
May 2, 1862 In Winchester, issued shop tools to the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR under orders of Col. Ashe
May 13, 1862 Purchased 422 50#/yard T-rails (each 21 feet long; total of 8/10 mile of track) total weight of 148,000# (74 tons)  (Tredegar Shop Records)
May 28-29, 1862 Hauled two locomotives (one was the Richmond & York River RR's Atlantic) from the Richmond & York River RR to the Richmond & Petersburg RR  (Diary)
June 10, 1862 Requested (from Richmond) transportation for wheels & axles
June 11, 1862 Shipped 30 tons of T rails from Tredegar south on the Richmond & Petersburg RR  (Tredegar Shop Records)
June 19, 1862 Shipped 3 tons of T rails from Tredegar south on the Richmond & Petersburg RR  (Tredegar Shop Records)
June 20, 1862 Shipped 3 tons of T rails from Tredegar south on the Richmond & Petersburg RR  (Tredegar Shop Records)
LOCOMOTIVE SHOPS, RALEIGH, N. C.
June 20-25, 1862 Makes journey from Richmond to Company Shops, N. C. and Raleigh, N. C. Apparently at this time he established repair shops for locomotives and cars at Raleigh, under orders of the Quarter Master General  
NA, QM 6-20-62
July 2, 1862 Rented the old machine shop of the Raleigh & Gaston RR in Raleigh for use as Confederate Government Locomotive Shop, repairing government locomotives and cars  (Diary)  
NA, QM 11-27A-63
August 4, 1862 His suggestion approved by the Quarter Master General for Sharp to control the use and assignment of Government locomotives and cars  
NA, QM 8-4-62
August through December, 1862 Purchased 17,000# of iron bars of the type used for railroad and rolling stock maintenance  (Tredegar Shop Records)
August 9, 1862 Ordered by the Quarter Master General to conduct an investigation into the reason for the delay of shipments from Charleston, S. C. to Raleigh, N. C.  
NA, QM 8-9-62
September 19, 1862 Executed his official bond as a Quarter Master  (Diary)
October 13, 1862 Advertised for a foreman for the Locomotive Shop 
NP, RD 10-13-62
October 24 - November 10, 1862 Took a trip through Augusta, Montgomery, Mobile and Atlanta looking for locomotives and cars to lease. Leased 2 locomotives and 30 cars from the Memphis & Ohio RR  (Diary)
November 3, 1862 As Quarter Master, approved the lease of locomotives and cars for late 1862  
NA, MG 11-3A-62
NA, MG 9-30-62
NA, MG 11-3-62
December 12, 1862 At Raleigh, N. C., signs as Captain & Assistant Quarter Master, in Charge of C. S. Locomotive Shops
December 31, 1862 At Raleigh, N. C., signs as Captain & Assistant Quarter Master
February 2, 1863 Col. Wadley called at the Shops and informed Sharp that the Secretary of War had ordered the Shops be closed and the material and property be turned over to him.  (Diary)
February 8, 1863 Between this date and May 13, 1863, turned over Locomotive Shop equipment and supplies to Major Sims  
NA, RRB 2-8-63
NA, RRB 2-20-63
NA, RRB 2-24-63
NA, RRB 2-28-63
NA, RRB 3-21-63
NA, RRB 3-25-63
NA, RRB 3-31-63
NA, RRB 4-7-63
NA, RRB 5-13-63
NA, RRB 3-31B-64
February 11, 1863 Reports that he has 112 good hands that need to be reassigned now that the Locomotive Shop is closing  
NA, RRB 2-11-63
February 27, 1863 Offers to sell Tredegar 2 cars  
LVA, TRED 2-27-63
LVA, TRED 3-18-63
March 10, 1863 Captain & Assistant Quarter Master, ordered to relieve Captain Venable, Assistant Quarter Master at Weldon, N. C.
March 19, 1863 Captain Troutman, Assistant Quarter Master, ordered to relieve Captain T. R. Sharp, Assistant Quarter Master, at Weldon, N. C. Captain Sharp, when relieved, will report as temporary Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina Rail Road. This order was requested by General Lee, January 23, 1863  (Diary) 
NA, QM 3-19-63
OR Series 1, Vol. 21, Page 1110
March 25, 1863 Arrived in Columbia, S. C. to take up his duties as Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR  (Diary)
May 25, 1863 Quarter Master General directed Sharp to taker control of all Government freight passing through Columbia, S. C.  
NA, QM 5-25A-63
NA, QM 5-25-63
May 27, 1863 All railroad property at Raleigh, N. C. is in the hands of Capt. T. R. Sharp, Assistant Quarter Master
June 19, 1863 Ordered to report to the Quarter Master General all railroad property that had not been turned over to Colonel Wadley (ie Major Sims)  
NA, QM 6-19-63
June 25, 1863 Was allowed to retain staff for his use in Columbia, S. C.
June 30, 1863 Reported the items consumed and produced by the Locomotive Shop during the May through June 1863 quarter  
NA, LS 6-30-63
NA, LS 6-30A-63
SOUTH CAROLINA & NORTH CAROLINA
July 21, 1863 Mentioned as Captain & Assistant Quarter Master at Columbia, S. C.
July 27, 1863 Addressed at Columbia, S. C. Receives orders from General Beauregard
October 19,1863 As Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR, tried to buy a locomotive from Major Sims and the Railroad Bureau
November 16, 1863 Mentioned as Superintendent of Charlotte & South Carolina Railroad
December 9, 1863 Quarter Master General required Sharp to explain how he could do both the Quarter Master job and the Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR job at the same time  
NA, QM 12-9-63
December 22, 1863 Looking for arms for guards
December 31, 1863 Still the Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR at the end of the year and at the end of the Diary  (Diary)
February 11, 1864 Still Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR  
NA, RRBT 2-11-64
June 27, 1864 Elected Major and Assistant Quarter Master of Columbia Local Defense Regiment of South Carolina State Troops  
www.geocities.com/sc_seedcorn/BnColaLD.htm
July 30, 1864 Resigned as Major and Assistant Quarter Master of the Columbia Local Defense Regiment when the Quarter Master General determined that such a position would conflict with his Confederate Quarter Master position  
www.geocities.com/sc_seedcorn/BnColaLD.htm
August 18, 1864 Quarter Master General increased his control over Government transportation in Columbia, S. C.  
NA, QM 8-18-64
September 15, 1864 Captain & Assistant Quarter Master, reports under General Order #71
September 16, 1864 Informed by Lt. Col Sims that he was to perform the Railroad Bureau's business on the Charlotte & South Carolina RR and the Greenville & Columbia RR  
NA, QM 9-16-64
September 28, 1864 Inspectors Report of Capt. Sharp's office states that he is engaged in no other business (ie he must not have still been Superintendent of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR)  
NA, C&SC 9-28-64
October 27, 1864 Sharp's transportation responsibilities reiterated by the Quarter Master General  
NA, QM 10-27-64
October 31, 1864 Inspectors Report of Quarter Master Department at Columbia, S. C. gives Captain Thomas R. Sharp, Assistant Quarter Master, in charge of personnel, freight & local transportation
February 15, 1865 Captain & Assistant Quarter Master, Transportation Office, Columbia, S. C.  
OR Series 1, Vol. 53, Page 1050
February 17, 1865 to March 21, 1865 Captain & Assistant Quarter Master in South Carolina, later in North Carolina, receiving orders from General Beauregard
April 2, 1865 Mentioned as Captain & Superintendent of railroads at Salisbury, N. C.
April 8, 1865 Addressed as Captain & Quarter Master at Salisbury, N. C.

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