BrunswickHistoricalPress Blog

Found An Armored Railroad Car

historicalnovelsbando — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:23:11 +0000

Here is a partial quote from a website I found on Google about “armored railroad cars b and o civil war” :

“The armored train in support was an ad-hoc affair, consisting of “iron-clad railroad batteries containing three guns each, and four musket proof boxcars with loop holes for riflemen. Manning the train was a detachment of Company K, 2nd Regiment, Potomac Home Brigade, under Captain Peter B. Petrie.”

“Confederate gunner George McElwee of the Baltimore Light Artillery sent his first shot through the locomotive boiler, disabling the train. He then disabled an artillery piece on one of the gun cars with his second shot. With the train disabled, the crew and soldiers bailed out. McElwee was certainly the premier anti-armor gunner of his day.” From “Armored Trains in the Civil War”

Let Me Hear From Other RR Historians

historicalnovelsbando — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:47:44 +0000

I am working on another book aboout railroading during the Civil War.

I am looking for more information about the “armored” railroad car used during the War by the Union forces. It looked like a specially built box car (“house car” in the terminology of the day) with sheets of metal added to the sides and a slot in front from which pokes a cannon. The car was pushed along by an unarmored locomotive, with the engineer up in the cab, visible to all and a “sitting duck” as a target. I would like to know whether this impractical combination saw any action during the War or was it merely intended to scare Confederate soldiers?

Secondly, historians seem convinced that the Confederates destroyed B&O rails, heated red-hot which seems unlikely) by using horses to bend them around trees. Some of the pre-steel rails of the 1860s were light weight, but is such a procedure likely to have happened, or even been possible? If they were heated over over a pile of burning ties they must have been very hot ties!

I would like to have more information about the North vs. South sympathies of B&O trainmen and track workers.

Can you help me with any information about the above? Are you interested in railroading and the Civil War? Please respond by email to me at excelsior6@verizon.net.

Visit my website at BrunswickHistoricalPress.com to learn about my other books about B&O railroading. – PM

Welcome to My World of Brunswick and the B&O!

historicalnovelsbando — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:15:10 +0000

Now that I am semi-retired as editor/publisher of The Brunswick Citizen I can spend more time writing and researching about the B&O Railroad and the people of Brunswick who played such a major role in its infancy and growth to maturity and adult-hood.

The Brunswick Historical Press is where one may find my stories and novels which honor the people and the community of Brunswick.

‘Brunswick Stew’ is about a fictional family but includes many real, historical figures. Besides being a noted recipe the title also indicates the diverse elements that went into the making of Brunswick: the people from many lands (especially England, Germany, Italy and Ireland) and the many occupations such as farming, carpentry and mechanic which all came here and played their roles as builders and operators of the B&O Railroad. The title emphasizes that Brunswick’s heritage is a mixture like a stew.

I continue to research and write about the B&O Railroad and hope to find others who will read this blog ( as well as my books ) and add their comments to this blog and to contact me with any interesting historical information they may have.

For an introduction to my books please go to http://BrunswickHistoricalPress.com Then let me hear from you so I can add more stew to the pot !

Thanks and enjoy the ride – PM