Snapshots of the Past

Military railroad bridge across Potomac Creek, on the Fredericksburg Railroad – Antique Print

Military railroad bridge across Potomac Creek, on the Fredericksburg Railroad, [ca. 1862 or 1863] — historic photograph
Military railroad bridge across Potomac Creek, on the Fredericksburg Railroad, [ca. 1862 or 1863]. Historic photograph from the Railroads & Depots collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Military railroad bridge across Potomac Creek, on the Fredericksburg Railroad comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

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Military railroad bridge across Potomac Creek, on the Fredericksburg Railroad

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Few wartime railroad structures went up as fast as the timber trestle across Potomac Creek on the Fredericksburg line. Union military railroad crews under Herman Haupt built it in 1862 to restore supply traffic after fighting had disrupted the route. The bridge rose high above the creek on tall timber bents, and its scale shows how much material and labor went into keeping the army's trains running. This is a salted paper print, an older process by the time of the war, and its soft, warm tones give the structure a quiet, almost monumental look.

Created / published[ca. 1862 or 1863]
Medium1 photographic print : salted paper.
GenreSalted paper prints 1860-1870.
NotesNo. 13 (handwritten) and 2514 (stamped) on mount. Title from item. Forms part of Civil War photos, military construction and transportation in Northern Virginia and elsewhere / United States Military Railway Department (Library of Congress).
SubjectsUnited States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Transportation.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,128 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-128084

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