The Railroad and the State

A key player in developing our railroads was an organization that had long faced transportation problems — the U.S. Army. (Lack of adequate roads produced hardships during the American Revolution, the campaigns against Native Americans in the 1790s, and the War of 1812.) In fact, army officers surveyed the first American rail lines, Civil War generals relied on railroads to transport and supply their troops, and heads of the frontier army allied with railroad companies to impose their vision of civilization across the plains.

Yet, the Army's attitude toward railroads was not one of singular enthusiasm. Members of the Corps of Engineers resisted efforts to promote railroads as a substitute for fortifications, the Quartermaster's Department bickered with Southern railroads for nearly two decades after the Civil War, and Army leaders rejected an organization that would plan and coordinate the military use of railroads.

The Army vs. the railroad

In his SAIC Executive Science & Technology Council (ESTC) Award-winning technical book, "The Railroad and the State: War, Politics, and Technology in the Nineteenth Century," SAIC's Robert Angevine details the complex and changing relationship between the U.S. Army and American railroads. His book, in fact, is probably the first work to fully examine this relationship.

For example, the Army engaged in many activities that promoted and directed technological change in the railroad industry and shaped the industry's growth. This included army engineers establishing specifications, executing designs, and introducing military management procedures on many of the nation's first railroads. (Between 1827 and 1838, Army engineers surveyed routes and prepared construction specifications for more than 20 railroads.)

In fact, many of the early railroad surveyors also helped disseminate the new technology by working for railroads after leaving the service. The Army also helped nurture and sustain railroads in the West by endorsing their prospects, protecting their lines, and using their trains to carry troops and supplies. The synergistic relationship the Army established with the railroads enabled both parties to achieve far more than either could have on its own, according to Angevine.

At issue with the Corps of Engineers

One of the key variables affecting the Army's attitude toward railroads was its own organizational culture and structure. Although many officers worked closely with the railroads and actively encouraged their construction, the Corps of Engineers disputed the military importance of railroads and impeded their development to protect its own organizational interests. In fact, the Corps of Engineers imposed onerous restrictions on rail lines crossing land under its jurisdiction.

Not until the Civil War broke the Corps of Engineers dominance in the Army (and elevated a new generation of military leadership) did the Army finally incorporate railroad technology into its strategic thinking.

For example, Generals Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan relied on railroads to supply their armies, devoted substantial effort to protecting their rail lines, and focused their attacks on disrupting Confederate rail service and capturing key rail junctions. After the war, promoting railroad development effectively became their strategy for dealing with Native Americans in the West. They counted on railroads to make their initial plan to disperse their forces across the plains affordable and their hope to concentrate their forces possible.

Current relevance

In addition, by examining how the U.S. Army contributed to and was affected by the railroad revolution, Angevine's book sheds light on issues of current relevance, such as how quickly and to what extent new technology can reshape the conduct of war, how military organizations can better adapt to new ways of war, and how they can groom a more innovative officer corps.

Angevine's book was published by Stanford University Press.

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