Perhaps unique among Tennessee's railroads, the Louisville & Nashville attempted to pursue a neutral position when the Civil War broke out (in keeping with its antebellum efforts to maintain good relationships between north and south).  Indeed, northern goods continued to pour into the south for several months via the L&N even after the war had been formally declared.  Nevertheless, Confederate and Union forces contended for control of the line, culminating in Union seizure of the entire line all the way to Nashville by late February 1862 (but only after the Confederates had removed substantial amounts of L&N equipment for use on lines further south).  Even after the L&N fell nominally under Union control, Confederate raiders continued to attack the line through the remainder of 1862.

Once firmly under Federal control, the L&N became a major transportation route for men and materiel moving south in support of the Chattanooga and ultimately the Atlanta campaigns.  Throughout this period, the L&N maintained semi-independent operation, apparently not falling under direct U.S. Military Railroad control as did most of the other Tennessee lines.  The L&N emerged at war's end battered but in much better condition than most other Tennessee railroads--and eventually became the dominant railroad company in Middle Tennessee.

Please click on the link below for a detailed listing of railroad facilities on the L&N as operated during the period of Federal control:
 
 

   Federal Railroads  |  Tennessee Civil War Railroads  |  Civil War Technology & Industry in Tennessee

Last update:   May 2, 2000