Details
JACKSON COMMANDEERS THE RAILROAD
by Mort Kunstler
Overall Print Size: 19½"" x 34½""
Edition Size: 1100
The taking of railroad trains overland by Stonewall Jackson from Martinsburg to Strasburg, more than 38 miles, was one of the most difficult and daring events of the Civil War. Federal forces cut off the rail lines from Martinsburg so equipment could not be moved by the Confederates over tracks to the Southern rail system. A plan was devised to move as much rolling stock and equipment as possible overland from Martinsburg to the southern railhead at Strasburg. General Stonewall Jackson, with the help of Captain Thomas A. Sharp and Hugh Longust, both experienced railroad men, led the successful operation. A newspaper report from Strasburg on September 7, 1861 stated: "Fourteen locomotives, a large number of railroad cars, nine miles of track, telegraph wires and about $40,000.00 worth of machinists' tools and materials, all belonging to the B&O Railroad, have been successfully hauled overland by the Confederates."
When analyzed, the task that Jackson faced was awesome considering the existing condition of the roads and the weight of the locomotives. Crews of teamsters, mechanics and laborers had to be assembled. So did an entire herd of horses. To lighten the load, every ounce of weight was taken off the engines - from bells and whistles to pistons, cow catchers, stacks and cabs. The tenders were detached. The front truck wheels were replaced with improvised, extra wide, wooden wheels. The front driver wheels were removed to lighten the load. The rear drivers had to be widened and the effect of the flange eliminated which was accomplished by putting on wide wooden wheels with iron banding. Teams of forty horses were hitched together - including mules, thoroughbreds, and workhorses - and all sorts of harnesses were improvised. The feat of maneuvering turns and grades on the macadamized surface of the valley pike must have presented an incredible spectacle.
In Mort Kunstler’s amazing "JACKSON COMMANDEERS THE RAILROAD" Stonewall Jackson, still in his blue VMI instructor’s uniform, sits on horseback in the center of the painting, viewing the path the 40-horse team will take. Captain Sharp points out the route. Accompanying Jackson are his mounted staff members - Second Lieutenant Sandy Pendleton in the red kepi and Dr. Hunter McGuire, both seen to the left of Jackson, and Major John Harmon, seen to the right of Jackson. It is early in the morning of June 20, 1861. The sun is rising in the east and starts to catch the higher parts of the roundhouse and the Berkeley Hotel.
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity.
