McCallum
Name: Daniel Craig McCallum
Achievements: Major 19th century US railroad figure
Born: January 21, 1815; Johnston, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Died: December 27, 1878; Brooklyn, New York (Aged 63)
Field & Discipline: Engineering; Railroads; Railroad Administrator
Language: English
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Spouse: Mary McCann
Children: Unknown
Education: Elementary
Major Work:
Provisioning Sherman’s Army in Atlanta
Life & Times:
When McCallum was a young boy his parents emigrated to Rochester, New York, where he later trained as a carpenter and builder.
In 1851, he patented a new type of bridge, which he described in an 1859 pamphlet: “McCallum’s Inflexible Arched Truss Bridge Explained and Illustrated.” His bridge design was a great success and earned him enough money to specialize in bridge construction. One result, in association with the engineer, Samuel Rogers was the construction of the High Bridge over the Harlem River.
To get experience, he worked as the general superintendent of the New York and Erie Railway in 1855 then, having set up the McCallum Bridge Company, he concentrated on railway bridges and, for a short time, was consulting engineer for the Atlantic & Great Western Railway.
The Civil War brought him great responsibilities when Secretary of War [appointed by] Stanton* made him Military Director and Superintendent of Railroads in February, 1862. He was commissioned colonel and made an aide-de-camp on the staff of the commander-in-chief, which gave him the right to seize and operate any railroads and their equipment in order to further the war effort.
He had a huge task, including 2,105 miles of track (extending as far south as the Division of the Mississippi), 419 locomotives and 633 carriages. His staff of ten thousand construction workers built or reconstructed 641 miles of track and twenty-six miles of bridges, costing forty million dollars.
During the Atlanta Campaign, he was responsible for keeping General Sherman’s army of 100,000 men and 60,000 animals supplied with rations, fodder and munitions. The supply base was 360 miles away from the army encampment, along a single-track rail line. McCallum’s management of the route overcame many enemy assaults on supplies to the base camp.
The successful provisioning of Sherman’s army was McCallum’s greatest achievement during the course of the war and he was rewarded in September 1864 by being promoted to Brigadier General. The following year he was promoted Major General for his commendable services.
After the end of the War, McCallum worked as an inspector of the Union Pacific Railroad, but he retired in 1869 and went to live at Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and three sons.
He died after a year of ill health.
Extra Connections: His work related to that of [work related to] J Edgar Thomson*, [work related to] Fink*, [work related to] Minot*, [work related to] Gould* and [work related to] Poor*
Assessment: As military director and superintendent of railroads during the civil war, McCallum played a significant role in the success of Sherman’s campaign in Atlanta.
Oneliner: Daniel McCallum, early railroad pioneer
Bibliography:
- Dictionary of American Biography. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York. 1961.