| From the Greensboro (N. C.) Patriot |
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| April 14, 1864 |
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| Mobile & Ohio Railroad |
| On the 24th instant, says the Mobile Advertiser,
the upper and lower working parties met and connected the rails {of
the Mobile & Ohio RR} near Meridian. Passenger trains can run to Columbus and Tibbee bridge,
and these will commence running tomorrow. The regular heavy freight
train cannot be run until the water fixtures and buildings are put in
order. Gen. Sherman's fiends burned the bridges, water fixtures and
warehouses on 47 miles of road, and tore up the track for about 21
miles, on 15 miles of which the cross-ties were entirely destroyed,
and the rails badly bent. Within this distance there there was one
large bridge over the Chickashay, two over the Okatibbee river, and
about three-fourths of a mile of heavy trestle work besides many small
trestles and wooden culverts. The destruction occupied a large portion
of Sherman's troops for four or five days. They evacuated Meridian on
the 20th of February, and on the 25th the work of repairing commenced,
and was finished on the 24th instant, being just 29 1/2 days, of which
five working days were lost by rain. The Yankees have been
complimented on their skill in destroying our roads, and the energy
with which the re-construct their own, when broken up by the
Confederates. We think the repairing of the Mobile & Ohio road
will compare well with Yankee enterprise. The work here was begun
under great disadvantages, a large portion of the regular force having
scattered, on the appearance of the enemy and for some time there were
no facilities for transportation of material on the Southern end of
the road. |
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The Selma road {the Northeast & Southwest
Alabama RR} had eight miles torn up, and it is expected that an
engine will run over it to Meridian today or tomorrow.
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| Smith's cavalry column burned all the
bridges between Okalona and West Point, and tore up the track at
intervals. The latter has been replaced; but nothing can be done with
the former until Tibbee (burnt by the Confederates) is rebuilt, so
that timber can be transported over the road -- that being impossible
over the prairies, even if the timber could be had. But for a heavy
freshet, which has delayed the work, Tibbee bridge would have been
ready on the completion of the work below. |
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So much for Sherman's irreparable damage to the great road, which the
Yankees boasted would starve us out and what it was generally believed
at home it would take four months to repair. A month of energetic
labor has opened the road to travel, and we hope the commissaries up
there will permit us to say to trade also. |
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The new currency and the open road, coming in timely conjunction,
will, we hope, have the effect of increasing the supplies of country
produce in this city. |
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