The L&N Railroad in the Civil War

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad was completed just as the first salvos of the Civil War erupted. As one of the few railroads linking the North and South, the L&N was valuable to both the Union and the Confederacy. Consequently, its route became a fiercely contested corridor of fire and blood. This history recounts the numerous military events along the L&N in the years 1861 through 1865, and also examines the still-resonant theme of the relationship between a major corporation and the government during a time of national crisis.

Dan Lee has degrees in history from Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. He lives in Hardin County, Kentucky.

Dan Lee
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 6 photos, map, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6157-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8938-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix

Preface      1

Introduction      5

1. The Journey Begins, 1850–1860      11

2. The End of Peace, 1860–1861      17

3. The Federals Advance      27

4. The First Drops of Blood Are Drawn      33

5. The Stalemate Is Broken      42

6. On to Nashville      53

7. The Year of the Thunderbolt      60

8. Confederate Kentucky?      76

9. Destination Louisville      90

10. Return of the Thunderbolt      103

11. Guerrillas and the Great Raid      124

12. A World without Morgan      138

13. The Uneasy Interlude, 1864      147

14. Hell Boils Over      163

15. The Last Guerrilla      180

Afterword      189

Chapter Notes      193

Bibliography      199

Index      207

“Lee provides an accurate history of the railroad…well written and easy to read”—Civil War News; “discusses the profiteering actions of the L&N’s owner, Lee Guthrie, and his ties to the Lincoln administration that led to lucrative contracts and special concessions…question[s] the relative weights of patriotism and capitalist greed in some sectors of the war effort”—Reference & Research Book News; “an excellent summary of the importance of railroads during the Civil War…well written”—newmarketbattle.blogspot.com.