Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Mount Clare Shops formed a large industrial complex critical to maintaining every aspect of the railroad’s daily operations. Because of their strategic importance, the shops were among the first sites in Baltimore secured by the U.S. Army when the Civil War began, and from this heavily guarded location the B&O supported the Northern war effort. Thousands of troops, tons of supplies and munitions, and material needed to rebuild damaged sections of track moved west from Baltimore along the B&O. With armies constantly maneuvering, ceaseless demands for military supplies, and numerous attacks on the rail line by Confederate raiders, the vital work there never stopped. John W. Garrett, president of the B&O during the war, had expressed pro-Southern sympathies before hostilities began, leading Northerners in the war’s early days to question the loyalty of the railroad’s management. Garrett’s political skill guided the B&O through this precarious situation and reassured supporters of the Union cause, and his abilities and efforts on behalf of the North gave the B&O the nickname “Mr. Lincoln’s Railroad.”

Baltimore, Maryland · United States