Major Campbell Wallace: Southern railroad leader

Major Campbell Wallace distinguished himself as a railroad leader in Tennessee and Georgia during the middle years of the nineteenth century. From 1853 until 1963 he occupied the presidency of the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad Company and from 1866 until 1868 was superintendent of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. During his years on the East Tennessee and Georgia, he was able to place that road on a firm financial basis, as well as to direct efficiently the expansion of that road. In Georgia, under effective administration, the war-devastated Western and Atlantic were restored to first class operating condition; furthermore, the line paid many of its debts. During his three terms (1879-1890) on the Georgia Railroad Commission, Wallace was active defending individual rights over corporate rights; moreover, he was a guiding hand in the organization and construction of two Alabama railroads. Thus, the basic purpose of this study is to determine the influence of Major Wallace in the development of railroad enterprise throughout the South in the nineteenth century. In assessing Wallace's achievement, the majority of material was taken from the Campbell Wallace Papers in Special Collections in the University of Tennessee Library, which is the only primary source that covers his entire life. Of course, additional primary sources such as newspapers, census returns, and legislative journals were consulted. The writer is fully aware that many of these sources are not very reliable; however, since they are the only ones available, it has been necessary to utilize them. Several of the sources, especially the Atlanta Constitution, are rather eulogistic in their descriptions of Wallace's activities; thus, the writer has experienced real difficulty in attempting to present a critical study. Yet, when possible, more dependable materials such as the Acts of Tennessee, census returns, and the official reports of the various railroads were consulted.