Civil War History
When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the region's social and government institutions were thrown in turmoil. The Civil War decimated both the region and Martinsburg, specifically because of the railroad yards.
- May 22, 1861: Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s troops stopped all trains going East at Martinsburg and Point of Rocks, Maryland during the Great Train Raid of 1861. Once he determined that all of the trains that could be caught were in his trap, he blew up the bridges to the West and blew down the rocks on the tracks to the East, and pirating of the B&O equipment began. In total, 42 locomotives and 386 cars were stolen and destroyed. 36-½ miles of track, 17 bridges, 102 miles of telegraph wire, the “Colonnade” Bridge and the B&O roundhouse and machine shops were destroyed.
- October 19, 1862: Roundhouse Complex burned by Confederate troops under Colonel Jackson.
Read more about this topic: Baltimore And Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops
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—Samuel Butler (1612–1680)
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“Social history might be defined negatively as the history of a people with the politics left out.”
—G.M. (George Macaulay)