Lifeline of the Confederacy Ruins (Feature Post) The folk of little Weldons Landing had good reason to celebrate on that chilly day of March 7, 1840. On that day they were officially handed bragging rights as the terminus of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad--the worlds longest stretch of tracks up to that time. And their pride would only grow over the years as the town we now know simply as Weldon morphed into a major transportation hub and they enjoyed all the associated perks. Just 20 years later, the railroad works were instantly transformed from an entity of civic pride and economic prosperity into being absolutely vital to the survival of the newly formed Confederate States of America. As it turned out, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was the primary means for moving food and war materials brought in from the coast of North Carolina by blockade runners to the troops in northern Virginia and the only means for getting across the Roanoke River just 9 miles from the State line was at Weldon. With both sides of the conflict recognizing the importance of the W&W and the even more so, the trestle at Weldon, it was General Lee who first called it the Lifeline of the Confederacy. And it was General Ulysses S Grant himself who, toward the end of the war instructed Colonel Summer to try to reach Weldon and do all the damage possible. In spite of numerous attacks against the railroad at various points the line remained open until near the end of the war. When a section of track was captured or destroyed the confederates was simply carry the supplies around the gap by wagon. And thanks to the cannons of nearby Fort Branch overlooking the Roanoke River, Weldon and its trestle remained virtually unscathed for the whole war. It was only after the fall of Fort Fisher and the capture of Wilmington that the infamous starvation and nakedness of Lees army took place. The Wilmington and Weldon line continued in service until 1988 when a 26-mile stretch of the tracks from Wilmington to Castle Hayne was abandoned. I have been told by the locals of Weldon that parts of the track and trestle there dismantled about that time as well but thankfully, for those of us who love having these historic connections left in place, the work stopped and everything was left just as seen in the photos here. Field Notes: I have more photos to go with this post but FB seems to limit the number of photos allowed with a status update so I will include them a little later as a separate post. (Cye) To see more of my work, please stop by at https://facebook/CyesEyePhotography Page likes always appreciated!
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 22:20:31 +0000
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