Caption

US Civil War train. US steam locomotive, the W. H. Whiton, crossing a newly built railroad over a river. This crossing took place in 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The first steam locomotives had been built in 1804 in England. The W. H. Whiton was built by William Mason in the USA in 1862. During the US Civil War, the railroads were vital in providing support for the armies. This locomotive, part of the Union railroads, was used to pull Abraham Lincoln's presidential train carriage, and, later, his funeral carriage. This photograph is from the Matthew Brady Collection, a collection of photographs from during and after the US Civil War.