This page is a collection of sources on the railroads in Richmond during the
Civil War. Five lines terminated in Richmond: Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, Richmond, Fredericksburg &
Potomac Railroad, Richmond and York River Railroad, Richmond and Danville Railroad, and
the Virginia Central Railroad. None of these lines connected in the city. In addition, the city worked on a railroad
through the city at various times during the war.
|
Richmond Dispatch |
11/8/1860; report from the board of the Richmond and York River Railroad;
important details about RR’s plans and operations |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
4/23/1861; description of the
arrival of Col. Robert E. Lee into Richmond and speech from the Spotswood
Hotel |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
4/23/1861; train has left the
Fredericksburg depot to convey the VMI cadets to Richmond |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
4/23/1861; construction on the city
railway continues |
|
Richmond at War |
4/26/1861; city council approves
railroad connections through the city |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
4/27/1861; order to connect the
railroads in Richmond and Petersburg |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/2/1861; the city railroad has
been advanced as far as the American hotel and is progressing nicely |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/2/1861; plans are being made to
connect the RF&P and Richmond & Petersburg RRs through Richmond, and well as
connections through Petersburg |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/30/1861; great description of the
arrival of President Jefferson Davis in Richmond and the celebration in
the city as he is escorted to Spotswood Hotel; later he reviewed the
troops at Camp Lee |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
6/1/1861; Description of the
arrival of Gen. Beauregard at the Spotswood Hotel |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
6/25/1861; New Orleans Washington
Artillery leaves Richmond for Manassas |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/2/1861; 5th North Carolina
Regiment arrives in Richmond and camps near the York River RR depot |
|
Richmond
Whig |
7/4/1861; lamentation regarding the use of the
new city railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/6/1861; City Railroad is not
running because of lack of cars |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/10/1861; report of a collision on
the Virginia Central and R. F. & P. RRs |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/10/1861; Dr. Hoge, chaplain at
Camp Lee, has set up collection place for donations next to the R. F. & P.
depot |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/16/1861; POWs from Yorktown
arrive, and are taken to the prison depot; some are from the "scum of
Baltimore," and one a spy |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/24/1861; description of the
arrival of the bodies of Generals Bartow and Bee in Richmond and
conveyance to the Capitol to lie in state |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/24/1861; anxiety in Richmond over
the slain at First Manassas; huge crowds assemble at the Central depot,
where "Gen." Davis (the President) arrives and addresses the
crowd |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/24/1861; 631 prisoners arrive
from Manassas and are taken to the prison depot - six hundred more are
expected soon |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/25/1861; trains arrive from
Manassas bearing wounded, who are taken to private homes for treatment;
500-600 POWs are set to arrive; the prison depot is already full; notes
that General Corcoran arrived in Richmond two days ago |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/25/1861; bodies of Bartow, Bee,
and Johnston were escorted from the Capitol to the Petersburg depot for
transportation South |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/1/1861; report of a body left on
the platform at the Virginia Central depot |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/2/1861; rumor of body on the
platform at the Virginia Central depot is false |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/3/1861; the number of wounded
POWs is now near 500 and more arriving; medicines will be needed |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/3/1861; appointment of new
superintendent of the Richmond and York River RR |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/3/1861; great description of
train accident on the Central Railroad, near Hanover Junction |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/4/1861; more details on the
Hanover Junction train wreck |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/5/1861; 74 new Yankee POWs arrive
- housed at prison in Jefferson Ward |
|
Richmond
Whig |
8/5/1861; connecting tracks for the
RF&P and Petersburg RRs (running up 8th st) will be completed in a few days |
|
Richmond
Whig |
8/5/1861; new superintendent for
the Richmond and York RR |
|
Richmond Enquirer |
8/10/1861; Railroad up 8th street, connecting
RF&P & Petersburg Railroad is nearly complete |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/30/1861; 13 POWs arrive |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
9/3/1861; a car is running on the new city
railroad |
|
Richmond
Whig |
9/4/1861; the new city passenger railway is
now in use |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
9/18/1861; locomotive "J. R.
Anderson" is on the new tracks connecting the RF&P and Petersburg RRs |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
9/21/1861; Jamestown relic is in
the hands of Thomas Wynne, the Superintendent of the R&P railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
9/27/1861; Virginia Central RR is
building a stone building at their RR shops |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/2/1861; excellent account of the arrival in
Richmond of federal prisoners and their route through the city to Mayo's
factory prison |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/7/1861; details on the times of departure at
the Petersburg Railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/7/1861;
More than 100
sick arrive for hospitals via the Central railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/8/1861; correction of times of departure on
the Petersburg Railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/24/1861;
details on the
anxiety at the Central depot over the non-arrival of prisoners; too many
prisoners in town; Plans afoot to convert a tobacco factory on 25th into a
prison |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/25/1861;
Enormous
description of arrival of POWs at VA Central depot. Sent to Mayo's Factory,
corner 25th and Cary. Much on 18th & 19th GA as guards. Wm. Harris, future
author, is among the prisoners |
|
Richmond
Whig |
1/8/1862; schemes for connecting
railroads via tunnels are before the Legislature |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/21/1862; Knifing and shooting at Va. Central RR depot. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/21/1862; Engineer of RF&P RR murdered |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/23/1862; 4 POWs arrive on the Richmond and Danville Railroad |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/25/1862;
details on plan to connect area RRs by
“permanent tracks” |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/25/1862; ambulance train runs off the track near Gordonsville. Nobody
hurt. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/25/1862; an engine on
the Va. Central RR blows up - no one hurt. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
1/28/1862; new schedule for trains on R&YRRR |
|
Richmond
Whig |
1/28/1862; General Assembly passes
a bill to move the line of the South Side Railroad to avoid the High Bridge,
near Farmville, which has been scaring passengers |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
2/7/1862;
Two cars of Va. Central freight train derail
just below Hanover Court House. |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
2/13/1862;
soldier badly injured in mis-step at RF&P RR
depot |
|
Richmond
Whig |
2/15/1862;
Capt. O. J. Wise's remains arrive via the
Petersburg depot and taken to lie in state on the third floor of the Capitol
in the room "recently fitted up for the occupancy of the Confederate Senate" |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
2/17/1862; RYRRR offering special train for in-bound visitors to
inauguration |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
2/19/1862; VCRR adv for "section master" from Manassas to Centreville |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
2/25/1862; Wind storm: slate blown off steeple of Broad Street M. E. Church,
also adjacent scaffolding; 100 yards of Petersburg RR bridge track and
flooring blown into the river; 50 old pines at Howard’s Grove fall – smash
into half dozen houses formerly used by 57 VA; tin roof at Greanor’s Factory
(future Castle Thunder), 18th St., blown off. |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/6/1862; locomotive explodes on the Orange and
Alexandria railroad |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/8/1862; locomotive hauled through the city streets to RF&P depot with
considerable difficulty |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/14/1862; slide on Richmond and York River Railroad repaired |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/22/1862; 14 year old boy run over by train on RF&P tracks near Brook Road |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/22/1862; 77 Unionists from Loudon County arrive via VCRR & incarcerated in “military prison
on Main street.” |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/25/1862; RYRRR repaired after rain damage |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/27/1862; 4 Yankee POWs arrive via the VCRR |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/5/1862; B&O RR engine taken from RF&P depot via Broad St. to RYRRR Depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/16/1862; new superintendent for the Richmond and York River Railroad |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
4/18/1862; man pardoned from the Penitentiary
after serving time for placing obstructions on the Central railroad |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/22/1862; 14 Yankee POWs arrive via the VCRR |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/28/1862; slave whipped for stealing corn, VCRR depot |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/5/1862; unusually large shipments of sick soldiers taxes city
transportation |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/5/1862; railroad tracks on 9th and Broad sts for the “street
railway” taken up for use elsewhere |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
5/9/1862; car on city railway collapses, Main betw 13 & 14 - horsedrawn |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
5/27/1862; Va. Central RR given permission to lay temporary track from its
depot to RF&P depot |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/27/1862; City Council meets to allow the Va.
Central Railroad to erect a temporary track up Broad street to connect it
with the Fredericksburg depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
5/28/1862; track connecting RF&P w/ Va Central commenced immediately once
permission granted |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/28/1862; Va. Central RR is building their
temporary track up Broad street to connect with the RF&P |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/31/1862; temporary track of the Va. Central
RR has succeeded in removing their engines to the RF&P depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/2/1862; citizens
urged to go to RYRRR depot with supplies, mattresses, etc |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
6/3/1862; anyone with furniture wagons or
buggies should bring them to the York River depot to transport the wounded |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/4/1862;
Dibrell’s Warehouse near RYRRR impressed into hospital duty |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/4/1862; long
article on RR accident in city, on 8th st - two injuries, canal bridge
damaged, etc. On tracks connecting R&P w/ RF&P. Also boy run over on Broad,
on connecting tracts between RF&P & Va. Cent. Byrd Island Hospital and
Spotswood Hotel mentioned. |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
6/5/1862; description of accidents involving
freeloading boys on the new connecting railway between the Central road and
the RF&P up Broad street. |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
6/7/1862; accident at the Petersburg RR depot -
man's leg maimed by incoming train. Taken to Bird Island Hospital |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
6/10/1862; temporary tracks on
Broad street, connecting the RF&P and VA Central RRs are doing good work |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/19/1862; member
of A9Ala shot at R&P RR bridge in scuffle with picket |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
6/19/1862; drunk Alabama Sergeant attempts to
cross the Petersburg RR bridge and is arrested - resists arrest, shot, and
sent to Kent & Paine Hospital |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/20/1862; "the"
city rail car breaks down "at the turning on Main street." |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/2/1862;
ambulance committee using omnibuses from Petersburg railroads |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/2/1862;
important article on RYRRR Bridge over the Chickahominy |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/3/1862;
Richmond Railway stables near corner 24th and Main adv for lost
horse |
|
Richmond
Whig |
7/3/1862; article describing the
destruction along the Richmond and York River RR following the Seven Days.
|
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/4/1862; body of
dead CSA soldier on RYRRR depot platform for two days |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/8/1862; RR
engine, VCRR, slips off Broad St. connector track. Notes that the VCRR’s
operations will be resuming now that the Federals are gone. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/9/1862; RF&P RR
adv for 20 negro men to repair RR between Richmond and South Anna |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
7/9/1862; Description of an
accident on the connecting tracks of the Central RR up Broad street |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/10/1862; update
on Va. Central RR damages – bridge over the Chickahominy is being rebuilt,
and the engine that fell down Broad street is still there, but will soon be
moved. |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/10/1862; Good description of the Danville
Railroad Hospital (GH#28) |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/10/1862; adv
from RF&P for 50 carpenters & hewers to work on bridges, & also to purchase
timber |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
7/11/1862; Spottswood Hotel and Danville RR shop to be used
as hospitals |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/14/1862; Yankee Surgeons to be exchanged,
except those at Savage's Station |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/14/1862; 2 cooks and 3 laundresses needed at
Central Depot Hospital |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/14/1862; 10 gallons of milk needed daily at
Central Depot Hospital |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/15/1862; RDRR
wants to extend up Virginia Street. J. Johns, Medical Purveyor, protests.
Also, Mr. Crutchfield introduces a bill about “weighing of long forage in
the Second Market.” |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/16/1862; list
of wounded POWs brought in from Savage’s. Libby Hospital too full. Had to
spend night at RYRRR depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/18/1862; VCRR
cars to resume travel to Staunton. RR finally repaired |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/18/1862; VCRR
to have special car between Louisa C. H. & Richmond to accept donations from
citizens for Richmond hospitals |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/18/1862; 20
laborers wanted for work on RYRRR |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
7/19/1862; mortality among wounded prisoners is
very great - 20 died at the York River RR depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/21/1862; 2
empty freight cars escape down Broad Street, crash into VCRR buildings at
foot of hill |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/21/1862; adv
from RDRR for runaway negroes |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/21/1862; 20 men
needed to work, RYRRR |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/25/1862; Central Hospital is now vacant |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/26/1862; VCRR
brings back repair machinery – had been sent away as a precaution |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/28/1862; 1100
WIA POWs sent away over the weekend. 300 more arrive from Savage’s. Talbott
& Bonn’s Factory, 18th Street, still has officers. Other factory prisons now
empty. Libby will soon be empty |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/30/1862; RFPRR
adv for timber & carpenters |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/9/1862; prisoners from Lynchburg
are arriving in Richmond, preparatory to exchange |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/18/1862; the last of the Salisbury
prisoners have arrived in Richmond, preparatory to exchange |
|
Richmond
Whig |
8/29/1862; several hundred
prisoners arrive at the Central depot, and have to lie on the streets for
several hours, until they are marched off to Camp Winder |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/1/1862; 60 POWs
arrive at Central depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/4/1862; 30
mules dragging captured railroad engine on Cary street |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/10/1862; City
report on expenditures, fiscal year ending 2/28/1862. Spent $30,409 on Alms
House, $567 for painting roof of Seabrook’s Warehouse, $509 for improvements
at Oakwood Cemetery; VCRR gets permission to use temporary Broad Street
tracks to connect RF&P RR with VCRR – wish to transfer 40 freight cars &
five passenger cars to VCRR; city council wonders why armory for volunteer
companies of the city, 9th between Main & Cary, not yet completed |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/18/1862; Two
Yankee RR engines at RYRR Depot – nice details |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/26/1862; Mrs.
Jones, 25th between Main & Cary, has son badly injured by cars at
R&YRRR depot |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
9/29/1862; Dr. B.
A. Curtis, GH#1, selling his farm in New Kent County on RYRRR |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
10/1/1862;
details on the Soldiers’ homes – the barrack next to the Central Depot is
“broken up” and the remaining soldiers’ homes (Conrad & Crew’s Factory &
“the Franklin street barrack”) are often strained to capacity. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
10/1/1862; 150
ANV wounded arrive on VCRR – sent to GH#1 |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
10/2/1862; negro
boy run over by “street railway car,” Main below 20th |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
10/21/1862; man garroted near the Central depot
and robbed of his possessions - mention steps leading down into the valley
from Broad street |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
10/28/1862; VCRR
now runs “ambulance train” from Richmond, Monday, Wednesday, Friday |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
11/1/1862; R&P RR
adv sale of 3 omnibuses. Described. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
11/7/1862; VCRR
train from Gordonsville deposits 2MANA wounded at GH#9 |
|
Richmond
Whig |
11/18/1862; accident on the City Railroad – horses run off
the track at 19th or 20th street |
|
Richmond
Whig |
11/18/1862; 110 prisoners brought to Richmond on the
Central railroad along with a “number of sutlers” |
|
Richmond
Whig |
11/18/1862; George M. Savage’s house burns down, formerly
used as a Yankee hospital during the Seven Days (Savage’s Station) |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
12/17/1862; Maxcy
Gregg’s body arrived 12/15 – placed in Provost Marshal’s office. City
Battalion & Public Guard, with full band, escorted it to R&P RR depot 12/16
afternoon. Route of parade given. No Hollywood. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
12/17/1862;
wounded men laying around untended at RF&P RR depot |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/15/1863; freight train accident
near Ashland on the RF&P RR |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/23/1863; captured Yankee railroad
engine has been re-gauged and assigned to the Danville RR |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/28/1863; workmen are tearing up
the connecting tracks on Broad street (connecting the RF&P and the Central
RRs) |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/20/1863; body of John Pelham has been brought
to the Capitol to lie in state - the body of Major Puller (ancestor to the
famous USMC General "Chesty" Puller) has passed through Richmond on the York
River Railroad |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/23/1863; Danville RR cars bring in over 1000
prisoners, some officers named. At present, there are 180 officers in Libby
Prison |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/12/1863; detailed description of
the arrival of Gen. Stonewall Jackson's remains and the subsequent
procession to Capitol Square |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/12/1863; detailed description of
the arrival in Richmond of Stonewall Jackson's remains and the procession
through the city |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/14/1863; Stonewall Jackson's
remains were taken from the Capitol to the Central RR depot |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/14/1863; description of the
removal of Jackson's remains to the Central RR depot |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
5/14/1863; Public guard escorts the remains of
General Jackson to the Central Depot for transportation to Lexington |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/8/1864; The body of Ulric Dahlgren has been
brought to Richmond - indicates that he was not exhibited, though the
public clamored for views |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/8/1864; the body of Col. Ulric
Dahlgren is on display at the York River depot; describes the corpse and
mentions that it was buried in an unknown place |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/28/1864; boy is decapitated after
attempting to jump onto the Fredericksburg train on Broad street |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
4/5/1864; Patient at Chimborazo maims himself on Richmond
and York River RR to escape service. |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/5/1864; Patient at Chimborazo maims himself on Richmond
and York River RR to escape service. |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
5/21/1864; 4,419 admitted to GH#9 between 5/6 & 5/20 |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
5/31/1864; 1100 POWs from Libby are to be sent
to Andersonville |
|
M346 Richmond & Danville RR file |
7/5/1864; Richmond and Danville Railroad needs to charge
the government more for transportation due to the higher prices for cars and
locomotives |
|
National
Archives, M346 |
7/8/1864; CS
Govt. will pay the RF&P RR 50% more to assist them in making repairs to
damage done to it during the recent raids |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
8/5/1864; items from the Mayor's
docket: two negro girls are thrashed for calling a white man "poor white
trash;" a boy escapee from the Alms House is sent back there after stoning a
man at the Petersburg depot |
|
Richmond
Whig |
9/17/1864; description of the
arrival of Gen Morgan's remains via the Danville train, their lying in state
in the Capitol building and burial in Hollywood cemetery |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
9/19/1864; train guards will be
examining passes, and none without proper papers will be allowed to pass
through Richmond |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
9/28/1864; locomotive traveling up
the connector track on 8th street, gets out of control near the Spotswood
and falls back down into the canal bridge |
|
Richmond
Whig |
9/28/1864; locomotive traveling up
the connector track on 8th street, gets out of control near the Spotswood
and falls back down into the canal bridge |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
10/3/1864; Mr. Harvie, President of
the Richmond and Danville Railroad, collides with an oncoming train while
operating a handcar in Manchester and is injured |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
10/27/1864; negro boy is killed
after trying to jump on to the Fredericksburg train on Broad street; appeal
for this practice to be stopped |
|
Richmond
Whig |
10/27/1864;
negro boy is killed after trying to jump on
to the Fredericksburg train on Broad street; appeal for this practice to be
stopped |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
11/15/1864; car shed for
the Danville railroad burns up, along with ten railroad cars.
|
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
12/12/1864; a conductor
on the Fredericksburg railroad is shot by a criminal and dies at the
"officers’ hospital (City Alms House)." Gives a list of the doctors who
treated him |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/4/1865; excellent account of the evacuation
and burning of Richmond |
|
New
York Herald |
4/5/1865; Details on the Federal occupation of
Richmond - notes that much railroad stock was captured at Richmond |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/11/1865; appeal for a city railroad to
replace one the CS built to transport iron to Rocketts |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/12/1865; idea of city railway has been
adopted by Northern capitalists |
|
National
Tribune |
8/17/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond;” part five of
serial account. Describes the scene in Richmond in early to mid-1863.
Mentions hedonistic activity at the Exchange, Ballard and Spotswood hotels;
prostitution and gambling flourishing in Richmond around the Exchange Hotel;
trying to get a pass out of Richmond from Gen. Winder; and subsequent trip
to Staunton on the railroad |
