A great point would be gained in any event by the effectual destruction of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.
—United States major general George B. McClellan, January 7, 1862
Originally constructed to carry commercial goods to and from Wilmington, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad played a vital role in transporting war materials brought into the Port City through the Union blockade. In the final months of the war, a large portion of the supplies that reached Southern forces in Virginia traveled over the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. For this reason, the railroad became known as the "lifeline of the Confederacy." The capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington closed this essential Confederate supply route and hastened the end of the war.
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