Railroad problems contributed to Confederacy defeat in the Civil War

This book is on examining Confederate Railroads operational problems during the American Civil War and whether they contributed to the defeat of the Confederacy. Early twentieth century historians considered railroads role as a modern weapon of war but since their work there has been limited investigation of the operational problems railroads encountered and how these impacted the War. Recent studies concentrate on specifics such as troop movements and railroads role in the defeat remains a little studied area. This research has re-examined historical studies and evaluated them in the context of operational problems. It identifies a close link between operational problems and Confederate government actions, where the government played a role in the railroads operational failings. At wars outset the Northern government was more directly engaged in railroad management, while the South failed to engage with this new weapon of war. This Book argues that operational problems did contribute to the failure of the railroads but that the government also failed the ¿iron horse¿ and contributed to their own defeat.