Confederate Method of Destroying Rail Roads at McCloud Mill, Virginia
Russell made several photographs of the discovery by the Union army of the simple but effective method developed by the Confederates to destroy Union railroad track. Using the ties as fuel, the soldiers stacked the iron rails in X formations and burned them until they could be twisted and made unusable. Federal engineers employed similar tactics to destroy Southern railroads, and this photograph has been published, inaccurately, as “Sherman’s Neckties.” The title refers to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, who during the Atlanta Campaign on July 18, 1864, gave the following explicit order to his corps: “Officers should be instructed that bars simply bent may be used again, but if when red hot they are twisted out of line they cannot be used again. Pile the ties into shape for a bonfire, put the rails across and when red hot in the middle, let a man at each end twist the bar so that its surface becomes spiral.”
Artwork Details
- Title: Confederate Method of Destroying Rail Roads at McCloud Mill, Virginia
- Artist: Andrew Joseph Russell (American, 1830–1902)
- Former Attribution: Formerly attributed to Mathew B. Brady (American, born Ireland, 1823?–1896 New York)
- Date: 1863
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: Image: 16.2 × 19.6 cm (6 3/8 × 7 11/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933
- Object Number: 33.65.175
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Multiple artists/makers
1861–65
Andrew Joseph Russell
Mathew B. Brady
1861–65
Andrew Joseph Russell
Mathew B. Brady
1861–65
Andrew Joseph Russell
Mathew B. Brady
1861–65
Andrew Joseph Russell
Mathew B. Brady
1863
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.