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Ronald Beavers gives an impromptu presentation to the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia on April 9, 2013, on the topic of what role the railroads played during the Civil War.
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad was built to encourage passenger travel and reduce shipping costs for the piedmont farmers. The railroad was completed to Warrenton by November 1852, joined with the Virginia Central Railroad in Gordonsville by 1854 and extended to Lynchburg by 1860. Because of the direct rail route from Alexandria to Richmond, it was arguably the most fought over railroad in Virginia. The facilities at its northern terminus in Alexandria fell under Union control in May 1861 and were greatly expanded in January 1862. The use of these facilities, and what the Union learned in their operation, greatly enhanced its war effort in not only the eastern theater, but also the west.
Introduction and Biography:
Mr. Beavers has been a docent at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum since 1996 and a Museum Board Director since 1998. He is also active in preservation efforts and is a member of the Civil War Trust, the Friends of Fort Ward, the Friends of Gettysburg National Park, the Friends of Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, the John S. Mosby Foundation, the Montpelier Foundation, Friend of the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association, the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable, Company D of the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment, and the Victorian Society of Falls Church.
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