Post-war view of the Northern Central station and tracks at York Haven. The 5th Wisconsin passed through this village en route to York. For more photos of York railroad structures, see Greg Halpin's website.
The Civil War has been considered by some authors as the "first modern war." Innovations such as submarines, rifled muskets, entrenchments, aerial reconnaissance, rail-mounted artillery, and others were implemented, some for the first time on a broad scale. Among the many changes in warfare was the mass transit of troops. Instead of walking or riding on horses or in wagons, troops could be conveyed from point to point via the fledgling system of railroads, cutting down the time it took to arrive in key locations. This was dramatically emphasized early in the war when the Confederates moved an army from the Shenandoah Valley into position to participate in the First Battle of Manassas.
As the war progressed, hundreds of thousands of troops (mostly Union) were conveyed on the railroads, and a fair percentage of them passed through York County. For some, the ride was pure misery...
