New River Railroad Bridge Civil War Relic

On the New River in Radford, Virginia there are stone piers from the old Virginia and Tennessee Railroad bridge still standing proudly next to the present-day bridge owned by the giant Norfolk Southern Railway.

^{image by Scott Rogers}

The old bridge was the site of a Civil War battle on May 10, 1864 in which Union forces attacked and burned the bridge after an extensive artillery duel with Confederates defending it. The federal troops, after burning the bridge but leaving the steel structure intact, withdrew back into West Virginia.

^{image by Scott Rogers}

One month later the bridge was re-opened and was used by the Confederates for the remainder of the war, until April 6, 1865 when Federal troops dismantled several of the bridge's trusses. The Civil War ended three days later when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, 116 miles away.

^{image by Scott Rogers}

The New River winds for 320 miles in the Appalachian Mountains through the states of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. It runs from south to north, unlike most rivers, and is one of the 5 oldest rivers in the world.
It is said that the river was here before the mountains.

I will be posting much more about this fascinating river in the months to come, as I plan on doing quite a lot of fishing there this spring and summer.

^{image by Scott Rogers}