Southern raiders behind Federal Army lines proved particularly proficient at destroying railroad tracks, causing untold headaches for Union supply officers and especially for Brigadier General Herman Haupt field chief for the Federal military rail system.
  Haupt determined to take revenge on these Southern raiders. In 1863, he produced one of the War's more remarkable documents. This detailed instruction manual, with accompanying photographs, taught the Federal cavalrymen how to wreck a railroad behind enemy lines, quickly, thoroughly, and scientifically.
  Haupt emphasized speed, his cavalry raiders utilized hit-and-run tactics while behind Confederate lines. Unable to carry large heavy tools with them, Haupt devised a number of tools small enough to be carried on horse back. One way to remove track was by using two small iron wedges, and using axes to drive them under the track which would pry-up the most unyielding spikes, and with steel hooks to remove the rest. With these new tools Haupt boasted, four men can remove a rail in three minutes.
  Making track useless took only some chain and an iron rod driven into the ground or a rail spike driven into a tie. The chain was wrapped around one end of the rail to be bent and around a piece of track still in place. The other end of the loose rail was then pulled around by either manpower or horsepower bending the track. The other method was to lay the loose track alongside a piece of track that was still in place, then an iron rod was driven into the ground or a rail spike was driven into a tie. The track was then bent around the rod, or the spike using the same source as the method first mentioned.
   Haupt had one other ruthlessly effective tool to render track unusable it was the Track Twister. This 6 1/2 pound portable tool was invented by Haupt and an assistant E. C. Smeed. It was in the shape of a large horseshoe with a hook on either end. The Track Twister could be placed on either end of the rail with a long timber placed in the loop and then twisted in opposite directions with the same man or horse power, rendering the track useless. To date I know of only two Track Twisters, that have been found.
  Haupt also had a way to deal with bridges he simply blew them up. He used an 8 inch metal cylinder, known as a Torpedo, filled with black powder and equipped with a fuse. It was placed in a hole bored in the bridges main timbers and ignited.