01-19-2022, 06:24 PM
Last week, while visiting a local used bookstore, I stumbled upon, what I consider, a great find. It is an old 1966 book, B&O in the Civil War. Here is what Amazon says about the book (red text is mine):
Fascinating collection of letters and telegrams to and from William Prescott Smith who was the Master of Transportation for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad during the Civil War. During that time, he handled the movement of thousands of men without the loss of a single life despite constant threats and disruptions. A personal friend of Pres. Lincoln, he supervised the President's visit to Gettysburg where attempts were made to mine the railroad.
Beside the fact that the book is interesting, I find it so fascinating because my father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad, and his father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad. In addition, my mother’s father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad. So, I have a long and very personal connection to the B&O Railroad. I have ridden on the B&O, and I have visited many of the places that are identified via telegrams and letters in this book.
I would not expect the average person to react like I have with this book, but I have found a gem and I am only sorry that my father is no longer living, so that I could share it with him.
Bob
Fascinating collection of letters and telegrams to and from William Prescott Smith who was the Master of Transportation for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad during the Civil War. During that time, he handled the movement of thousands of men without the loss of a single life despite constant threats and disruptions. A personal friend of Pres. Lincoln, he supervised the President's visit to Gettysburg where attempts were made to mine the railroad.
Beside the fact that the book is interesting, I find it so fascinating because my father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad, and his father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad. In addition, my mother’s father was a long-time employee of the B&O Railroad. So, I have a long and very personal connection to the B&O Railroad. I have ridden on the B&O, and I have visited many of the places that are identified via telegrams and letters in this book.
I would not expect the average person to react like I have with this book, but I have found a gem and I am only sorry that my father is no longer living, so that I could share it with him.
Bob