I don't think there was a railroad bridge across the St. Francis River and the railroad was not completely finished until after the war. I've never heard of any trains running between Hopefield and Madison during the war. I may be wrong. There was not a railroad bridge at Memphis until around 1880 or later. My 18 year old grandfather from NC on his way to Texas in 1880 had to ride a ferry across the Mississippi River at Memphis. The railcars were also ferried across the river. A note of interest he was traveling with a young buddy of his named Poole to a new life in Texas. My grandfather was carrying an old worn out civil war colt pistol. The ferryman saw him with the pistol and said "I wouldn't carry that into Arkansas someone will call your hand". My grandfather replied "It don't even shoot". The ferryman said "Hell! boy that's even worst, that gun is going to get you killed. So my grandfather tossed that piece of junk in the Mississippi River and continued his trip on the Memphis & L.R. railroad. Albert A. Keever born in 1862.