 Construction of the rail line still persisted during the Civil War because the owners of the railroad wanted to serve the Confederate Army.The plan was to allow the Confederates to use the railroad for free, however, it was not sustainable, and so the Confederate Army paid almost all the railroads in the south with Confederate bonds, which were deemed worthless after the War.In the decade leading up to the Civil War, Memphis’ vibrant cotton market made it the fastest growing city in the U.S.