There are several ways of destroying
track, more or less effectual. The
track was the best I have ever seen in
the South, the rail being laid on a
long sleeper, which rests on ties, and is
fastened to them by treenails. The
quickest way is to form a reg’t in
single file on one side, all taking hold
of the rail; then all lifting together the
whole thing, sleeper, ties & all, is raised
from the road bed & tipped right over
bottom side upwards. As soon as the left
of the reg’t have raised their part to a
perpendicular position they rush down
& form on the right & lift, and so on ad
lib. It is very curious to see a track
raised & thrown over in this way like
a pile of bricks, one part following another
rapidly. Then to make the destruction
complete, after the track is thrown over thus, you
can separate the ties, pile them up &
set them on fire, piling the stringer &
rail on top, either in one long piece
extending from pile to pile, or chopped
into lengths. All this we did without
any tools but our hatchets, 3 or 4 to a
company. The engineers followed &
twisted the rails while red hot.