CDV of the Petersburg Railroad Bridge by Seldon & Ennis

CDV of the Petersburg Railroad Bridge by Seldon & Ennis
 
The expansion of railroads in the 1830s fueled the growth of iron works like Tredegar, and by the Civil War, five railroads had come into Richmond. The Richmond-Petersburg was the first railroad bridge in the city. It was built by Moncure Robinson, a Virginia native who engineered many early American railroad lines. Completed to Manchester, now part of Richmond, in 1838, the structure was 2,844 feet in length and stood 60 feet above the James River. Constructed primarily out of pine planks, the bridge seemed “air built,” and perhaps dangerous to many Richmonders.
 
Railroads were what made Petersburg famous during the antebellum period. By 1860 Petersburg was the 2nd largest city in Virginia and the 7th largest city in the South. During the war, the supplies that powered Confederate armies and industries in Virginia flowed by rail through Petersburg. Throughout the 9-month Petersburg campaign, railroads were center stage for both armies. Both armies fought, killed, and died over control of the railroads of Petersburg.