Time has been very good to Thomas Weber's Northern Railroads in the Civil War, 1861-1865. First published by Columbia University Press in 1952, it has been out of print since the 1970s, but never out of demand. It has emerged as the premier account of the impact of the railroads on the American Civil War and vice versa. Not only did the railroads materially help the north to victory through movement of troops and materiel, but the war materially changed the way railroads were built, run, financed, and organized in the crucial years following the war.
We are still waiting (9/1/98) for the reviews to come from the author's files.
"Thomas Weber's study of northern railroads during the Civil War remains the obvious treatment of an important topic. His analysis rests on solid research and leaves no doubt that the North's excellent use of railroads contributed significantly to Union victory."
--Gary W. Gallagher
(shortened)
"Thomas Weber's... analysis rests on solid research and leaves no doubt that the North's excellent use of railroads contributed significantly to Union victory."
--Gary W. Gallagher