PACIFIC RAILROAD TIMETABLE OF COMPLETION WEST OF JEFFERSON CITY, 1864

As the following references to the Official Records, Series 1 will show, the Pacific Railroad west of Jefferson City was completed and operational by August 1864, and was fully operational until at least October 1, 1864, from Warrensburg through Sedalia and California to Jefferson City. Most dispatches given below were written by/for BG E. G. Brown, while at Warrensburg.

1. 4-20-1864, Vol. 34, Part 3, Page 238. Finished to Dresden, 7 miles west of Sedalia, by April 1, 1864. Expect to be finished to the Knobs, 12 miles west of Dresden, between Sedalia and Warrensburg, by May 1, 1864. Some military assigned to track laying at an additional $2/day and now laying ½ mile of rail per day on completed roadbed. Railroad expect to be completed west to Warrensburg by June 1, 1864.

2. 6-14-1864, Vol. 34, Part 4, Page 365. Finished to Warrensburg by June 1, 1864. Working hard on track laying on Pacific Railroad between Warrensburg and Hobson’s (Centerview), 6 miles west of Warrensburg. Providing additional troops from Warrensburg west to Hobson’s for protection of the workers “laying the iron.”

3. 6-20-1864, Vol. 34, Part 4, Page 474. Bringing in replacement troops to Holden (8 miles west of Hobson’s) used for protecting railroad workers laying iron on Pacific Railroad west of Warrensburg thru Hobson’s (Centerview) to Holden.

4. 7-20-1864, Vol. 41, Part 2, Page 291. Since April, built 24 miles of railroad plus 75 miles of road. This 24 miles of completed railroad (west of Dresden since April) would put the completed railroad about two miles southwest of downtown Warrensburg by August 1, 1864.

5. 9-23-1864, Vol. 41, Part 1, Page 344. Pacific Railroad was operational in late September at least from Warrensburg east to Sedalia and on to Jefferson City. BG E. G. Brown moved his army from Warrensburg to Sedalia by railroad and wagon as ordered on 9-23-64; moved wagon train east on the 28th and troops on 29th with all safely arriving in Jefferson City by 10-1-64.

6. 9-30-1864, Vol. 41, Part 3, Page 695. Guards riding on railroad cars between Jefferson City and at least Warrensburg reportedly have been firing at people and animals along the Pacific Railroad, so says MG W. S. Rosecrans. Command at Warrensburg told to put a stop to it.

7. 10-7-1864, Vol. 41, Part 3, Page 695. Dispatch to MG Curtis indicates that Pacific Railroad between Warrensburg and Jefferson City was believed operational and that Confederates were planning on attacking it.

8. 10-10-1864, Vol. 41, Part 3, Page 759. The Pacific Railroad will be repaired to the La Mine bridge tomorrow and, if that is not burned, all the way through to Warrensburg (Pleasonton). {The La Mine bridge was partially burned on 10-7, and completely burned on 10-9 by Shelby’s Brigade.

QUESTION??

Had the La Mine River railroad bridge not been completely burned, on the second try, on October 9, 1864, then how would the Federal attempt to entrap Price along the southern side of the Missouri River been different, given that Federal infantry (A.J. Smith) and late arriving Federal cavalry (Mower) could have been hauled direct to Warrensburg (or perhaps even Holden), 25 or more miles west of Sedalia??
Would Sedalia still have been the Federal railhead for troops and supplies, which seemed to have caused Sanborn and Smith to always been at least one day behind Price??