The Montgomery and West Point Railroad (M&WP) was an early 19th-century railroad in Alabama and Georgia. It played an important role during the American Civil War as a supply and transportation route for the Confederate Army, and, as such, was the target of a large raid by Union cavalry in the summer of 1864, called Wilson's Raid. The railroad played an important role in this business, and it became a symbol to industrialization in the United States. The railroads make it possible to supply large military forces that were needed in order to take over and conquer the Southern part of the United States. During the early 19th-century, turnpikes, canals, and railroads all brought people to the west and more products to the east. There was an effort in Americans during this time to build a railroad that would link Georgia to trade with the Tennessee and Ohio areas, and the M&WP was a starting point in helping to accomplish this goal.

Background Information

The Montgomery Railroad had a charter granted on January 20, 1832, to build track from Montgomery, Alabama east to the Chattahoochee River at Columbus, Georgia. The instruction was for the track to begin in the city of Montgomery.

thumb|right|upright=1.6|alt=Alabama map shows the Montgomery and West Point Railroad.|1876 map shows the Montgomery and West Point Railroad.

In 1833, the Georgia Railroad Company was chartered to businessmen for the sole objective of building a railroad from the west of the state into the inner part of the state of Georgia. In 1834, a second charter was gained with the route changing from Columbus to West Point, Georgia.

thumb|upright=1.6|This is an image of what the Montgomery and West Point Railroad became later on.

The railroad had not reached Franklin, Alabama, just east of Montgomery until 1840. The railroad was sold under foreclosure on July 9, 1842, due to more financial troubles. It was later reorganized as the Montgomery and West Point Railroad on February 13, 1843. The railroad was completed to West Point on April 28, 1851. Three years later the Atlanta and West Point Railroad was completed, connecting Montgomery to East coast markets. In May 1851, the M&WP Railroad was completed and was daily operated by July 1, 1852. This railroad company profited to US$130,000.80. The state legislature threatened the success of this company and put the collections of the fund under close observation. The funds made from the rail were to be secured by the president and board of directors of the railway company. The president and his board had to guarantee that the road would not be put in operation anytime later than January 1, 1849. The M&WP then built a branch line from the main line Opelika, Alabama, to Columbus, which was constructed in the years of 1852–1856. It soon began operating when it was finished in 1856.

In April 1865, a far more destructive raid, Wilson's Raid, wrecked all of the remaining rolling stock of the railroad. After the war was over, the railroad was repaired and reopened for use. The M&WP was later on merged into the Western Railway of Alabama in 1870.

Main Purpose

The Montgomery and West Point Railroad was built because a rail line was needed from Alabama east to Chattahoochee River. This was a starting point in connected different states in the South of the United States of America. The businessmen in Montgomery wanted a fair trade in other parts of the state, and even in other states close by. In order to create a system where it would be easy for them to do business, a railroad was an ideal idea.

This railroad was mainly used during the Civil War in order to help transport military forces and other materials or supplies required to conquer the South. However, as railroads became more developed over the years, they became an efficient way of people transporting from one place to another. It formed a connection between the northeastern and southeastern sections of the United States and also played an important role.

References

  • American Railroads; Their Growth and Development by Association of American Railroads (Washington DC, 1956), page 8
  • Old Rail History Website with details and maps