Railroads During the Civil War

Railroads During the Civil War. Rivertowns. , Columbia's strategic position would have made it a fine prize for an invading Southern army bent on disrupting vital communications and supply lines in the North. Railroads connected Columbia with Philadelphia, York, and Harrisburg, and canal transportation linked the community with both the Chesapeake Bay and the interior of Pennsylvania., The Pennsylvania Railroad had three routes radiating from Columbia during the Civil War. The first came from Lancaster after originating in Philadelphia. This was part of a combined railroad-canal system running from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The second route crossed over the mile-long covered bridge across the Susquehanna River to Wrightsville on its way to York. The bridge was torched on June 28, 1863 to prevent the Confederate from crossing into Lancaster County and on to Harrisburg and possibly Philadelphia. The last branch ran adjacent to the Susquehanna River from Middletown to Columbia., Often overlooked, a gesture of human kindness occurred in Columbia during the war. A train load of Confederate prisoners, enroute to a Federal prison camp in New Jersey, was delayed in Columbia for several hours. The women of the town brought food and clean clothing to the train to help relieve the suffering Southern soldiers.