The Bridge Burners

When the East Tennessee and Virginia Railway line was completed in 1858, dignitaries gathered in celebration as the final spike was hammered into the last tie in Greene County. Opening new doors of growth and economic development in the area, the railroad that proved such a peacetime boon would be-come a point of conflict only three years later. When the Civil War began, the line became a vital link in transporting Confederate troops and supplies from the deeper South into Virginia. The railroad was vulnerable, however; and East Tennesseans had voted more than two to one against secession. With so many hostile Unionists in the region, Confederate authorities were understandably worried about the rail lines and how to protect them. Inevitably the stage was set and on a cold Friday night, November 8, 1861, the Unionists proceeded with plans to burn the key railroad bridges of East Tennessee. How-ever, the promised Federal invasion did not come. From the "Prelude to Conspiracy" and a bold plan approved by President Abraham Lincoln, through the tragedy described in the "Aftermath," all of the peo-ple involved and all of the events are covered in de-tail. Written by a nationally known author of historical novels, this thoroughly researched, easy-to-read narrative tells the incredible true story of insurrection gone wrong.