Railroad Bridge over the New River

After reuniting Frank's grandsons with their mother at the Radford exit, we decided to drive through the town. "Anything you want to see?" Frank asked.

I didn't know what was there to see although I recalled that there was a river. "If you see a Civil War Trails marker, pull off!" was my response.

Within a few minutes we saw the familiar sign with an arrow indicating there was a Civil War Marker down the road to the left. We followed it to a large riverfront park called Bisset Park. The marker turned out to be at the left (western) end of the park, past a picnic shelter.
It is titled NEW RIVER BRIDGE
Attack on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad.

It starts out "On May 10, 1864, the day after defeating Confederate forces in the bloody battle of Cloyd's Mountain, Union Gen. George Crook's Army of the Kanawha attacked and burned this railroad bridge over the New River. During the Civil War, the railroad was a major strategic resource, allowing the rapid massing of troops and the long-distance delivery of food and munitions. U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's plans for a Union offensive on all fronts in 1864 led to the destruction of this important 780-foot bridge."

To summarize the rest, the Federals did not destroy the stone piers because they lacked explosives. Within a month the bridge was rebuilt, only to be attacked again the following April, just three days before Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

I walked beyond the marker to a place where I could see the river, and there I saw the current railroad bridge and the piers of the previous one.


Informative Article: Geology and the Civil War: Union Raiders
Maps: The Riverway (PDF) (Waterfront Path)
GIS map of Radford, VA