Cumberland Pontoons facts for kids

Cumberland pontoons were special folding bridges used by the Union Army during the American Civil War. These bridges helped soldiers cross rivers easily as they moved through states like Tennessee and Georgia.

What Are Pontoon Bridges?

Imagine a floating bridge! That's what a pontoon bridge is. It's made of many small boats or floats (called pontoons) linked together to create a path across water. During the Civil War, armies needed these bridges to move quickly, especially when there were no regular bridges or if they had been destroyed.

Before the Cumberland pontoons, the bridges used were very heavy and hard to move. They needed special wagons just to carry them. There were two main types:

• The "Cincinnati pontoon" was a wooden boat, like a big canoe.
• The "Russian pontoon" was a boat made of canvas.

Both types were about 22 feet long. It took many soldiers a long time to set them up. They had to lift each section and pin them together one by one. This made crossing rivers slow and difficult for the army.

A New Idea for Faster Crossings

In early 1864, a Union general named George Henry Thomas was in charge of the Army of the Cumberland. He really needed a lighter and easier way to cross rivers. He knew the old bridges were too slow and heavy.

General Thomas wanted a bridge that could be moved easily and set up quickly. He asked his engineers to come up with a better design. Another general, William Rosecrans, had thought of a similar idea earlier, but it wasn't used.

Captain Merrill's Smart Design

Captain William E. Merrill, who was General Thomas's chief engineer, took Rosecrans's idea and made it much better. He made the new pontoons lighter and stronger.

Here's the clever part:

• Instead of using pins to hold sections together, Captain Merrill used hinges. This meant the sides of the boats could fold up!
• When folded, the boats were small enough to fit on a regular army supply wagon.
• They were also much easier and faster to build in the field.
• Even though they were lighter, these new folding boats were strong enough to hold horse-drawn cannons and wagons full of supplies.

The Cumberland Pontoons in Action

These new, improved boats quickly became known as "Cumberland pontoons," named after General Thomas's army. The first ones were built in the army's workshops in Nashville, Tennessee.

Soon, 50 of these new folding boats were sent to the army. General William T. Sherman used them a lot during his famous campaigns. He used them during the first two months of the Atlanta Campaign, for example, to cross the Etowah River. He also used them later during his "March to the Sea" and the 1865 Carolinas Campaign. These clever folding bridges helped the Union Army move faster and win important battles.