{"product_id":"targeted-tracks-the-cumberland-valley-railroad-in-the-civil-war-18611865-9781611214611","title":"Targeted Tracks: The Cumberland Valley Railroad in the Civil War  1861-1865","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Civil War was the first conflict in which railroads played a major role. Although much has been written about their role in general  little has been written about specific lines. The Cumberland Valley Railroad  for example  played an important strategic role by connecting Hagerstown  Maryland to Harrisburg  Pennsylvania. Its location enhanced its importance during some of the Civil Wars most critical campaigns. Despite the lines significance to the Union war effort  its remarkable story remains little known. The publication of Targeted Tracks: The Cumberland Valley Railroad in the Civil War  1861-1865  by Scott L. Mingus Sr. and Cooper H. Wingert  rectifies that oversight.  Because of its proximity to major cities in the Eastern Theater  the Cumberland Valley Railroad was an enticing target for Confederate leaders. As invading armies jostled for position  the CVRRs valuable rolling stock was never far from their minds. Northern military and railway officials  who knew the line was a prized target  coordinatedand just as often butted headsin a series of efforts to ensure the railroads prized resources remained out of enemy hands. When they failed to protect the line  as they sometimes did  Southern horsemen wrought havoc on the Northern war effort by tearing up its tracks  seizing or torching Union supplies  and laying waste to warehouses  engine houses  and passenger depots.  In October 1859  Abolitionist John Brown used the CVRR in his fateful Harpers Ferry raid. The line was under direct threat by invading Confederates during the Antietam Campaign  and the following summer suffered serious damage during the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1864  Rebel raiders burned much of its headquarters town  Chambersburg  including the homes of many CVRR employees. The railroad was as vital to residents of the bustling and fertile Cumberland Valley as it was to the Union war effort.  Targeted Tracks is grounded on the railways voluminous reports  the letters and diaries of local residents and Union and Confederate soldiers  official reports  and newspaper accounts. The primary sources  combined with the expertise of the authors  bring this largely untold story to life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45655666884661,"sku":"ByrdShop_1611214610","price":249.06,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781611214611.jpg?v=1781937898","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/targeted-tracks-the-cumberland-valley-railroad-in-the-civil-war-18611865-9781611214611","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}