Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Mount Clare Shops. , You are standing on the site of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Mount Clare Shops, a large industrial complex critical to maintaining every aspect of the railroad’s daily operations. Because of their strategic importance, the shops were among the first sites in Baltimore that the U.S. Army secured when the Civil War began. From this heavily guarded location the B&O supported the Northern war effort. Thousands of troops, tons of supplies and munitions, and material essential to rebuild damaged sections of track moved west from Baltimore along the B&O. With armies constantly maneuvering, with the ceaseless demands for military supplies, and with the numerous attacks on the rail line by Confederate raiders, the vital work here never stopped. , John W. Garrett, president of the B&O during the war, was known to have expressed pro-Southern sympathies prior to the outbreak of hostilities. These sympathies led Northerners to question the loyalty of the railroad’s management during the early days of the war. Garrett’s political skill deftly navigated the B&O through its precarious situation and soundly reassured the supporters of the Union cause. His abilities and efforts on behalf of the North gave the B&O the nickname “Mr. Lincoln’s Railroad.”, “Several old passenger-cars awaiting repair (at Mount Clare), were occupied by the company and afforded comfortable accommodations; and the paymaster’s car, fitted up with tables, lounges, and berths, was the officer’s quarters…The duty, however, was light, averaging only about three hours a day to each man; and it consisted only in guarding against fire and intruders, the men were able to secure themselves against the inclemency of the weather.” , Col. Emmons Clark, 7th New York Infantry.