Bridge on Orange and Alexandria Rail Road, as Repaired by Army Engineers under Colonel Herman Haupt 1865

Andrew Joseph Russell's "Bridge on Orange and Alexandria Rail Road, as Repaired by Army Engineers under Colonel Herman Haupt" (1865) is a powerful image that documents the importance of railroads in the American Civil War. The photograph shows a train crossing a repaired bridge, a testament to the vital role of infrastructure in the Union's war effort. Russell, a renowned photographer who documented the war, captures the engineering marvel of the rebuilt bridge and the human figures that underscore the scale of the project. The image offers a glimpse into the logistical challenges and triumphs of wartime, and a testament to the determination of the Union Army to maintain its supply lines.