The Great Train Chase
 Date(s):
April 12, 1862
Situation:
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Maj.
Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel commanded the Federal troops in
Tennessee.
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Maj. Gen.
Mitchel
planned to move southwest with his army and seize Huntsville, AL, before
turning east in hopes of capturing Chattanooga, TN.
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James
J. Andrews, a civilian scout and part-time spy, proposed a
daring raid aimed at destroying the Western and Atlantic Railroad link to
Chattanooga, isolating the city from Atlanta.
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Andrews recruited a civilian named
William Campbell, as well as 22 volunteer Union soldiers from
three Ohio regiments.
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Andrews instructed the men to arrive in Marietta, Georgia, by
midnight of April 10th. With the plans delayed a day by heavy rain, they
traveled in small parties in civilian clothing to avoid arousing
suspicion. All but two men were able to reach the designated rendezvous
point at the appointed time.
Description:
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The Great Locomotive Chase or
Andrews' Raid was a military operation that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern
Georgia.
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A team of Union Army raiders planned to
seize a train on the vital
Western & Atlantic Railroad, which
ran from Atlanta, GA, to Chattanooga, TN and destroy bridges so that Confederate troops and supplies could not be moved to
Chattanooga, TN.
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In order to implement their plan,
volunteers lead by James
J. Andrews, a civilian spy, stole a train powered by a locomotive
called the General.
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The train's conductor,
William Allen Fuller, chased the
General by foot and handcar.
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At Etowah, Fuller
spotted the
Yonah and with it chased the raiders north, all the way up to Kingston.
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At Kingston, Conductor Fuller got on
the William R. Smith and headed north to Adairsville.
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The tracks
two miles south of Adairsville were broken by the raiders, so
Fuller had to run the distance by
foot.
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At Adairsville, Fuller took
command of the southbound locomotive Texas and chased the
General.
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The Union raiders were pursued by
other locomotives, and captured, with some being executed as spies.
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Some of Andrews' Raiders became the
first recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Places of Interest
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Atlanta - The General leaves
Atlanta at 4:00 am.
The Texas is housed in the Cyclorama Building in Grant Park in
downtown Atlanta.
Please click on on link to view map.
Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Msm (building), Atlanta, Georgia, United States
[return
to map]
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Decatur - In the 1830s, the
Western and Atlantic Railroad wanted to make Decatur the southernmost stop on
its railroad. The citizens of Decatur did not want the noise, pollution and
growth that would come with such a major terminal, so they rejected the
proposal. In response, the railroad founded a new city to the west-southwest of
Decatur for the terminal. This town would later become known as Atlanta.
Please click on on link to view map.
Decatur, Georgia, United States
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East Point -
The name
East Point
derives from the fact that it is the place where the Atlanta & West Railroad
ends in the east, just as West Point, GA is the place where the rail line ends
in the west.
East Point, Georgia, United States
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Marietta
- The Andrews raiders board the northbound train at 5:15 am
after spending the night at the Marietta Hotel and Fletcher House.
Please visit
Western and Atlantic
Passenger Depot - Marietta, GA.
Please click on on link to view map.
Marietta, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 20 miles
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Big Shanty (Kennesaw) -
The train stops at Big Shanty for breakfast at the Lacy Hotel.
As Fuller and his crew begin breakfast,
Andrews and
his band of raiders seize the General.
Fuller chases the engine on foot.
The General is housed at the
Southern Museum of Civil War and
Locomotive History in Kennesaw.
Please click on on link to view map.
Southern Museum of Civil War (museum), Kennesaw, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 28 miles
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Moon's Station -
About two miles north of Kennesaw, the General stopped to
pick some tools from a track crew.
Fuller commandeers a push car and continues his pursuit.
A historical marker marks
Moon’s Station.
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Allatoona -
After passing Allatoona, Andrews has his men cut telegraph lines and remove a
rail from the track.
Please click on on link to view map.
Allatoona, Bartow, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 40 miles
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Cooper Iron Works -
The Yonah
was a yard engine used to move coal, iron and other materials on the line from
Etowah to the
Cooper
Iron Works.
This
furnace at the base of Allatoona Dam is the only
remnant of Mark A. Cooper's Iron Empire. Cooper sold the Etowah Mining and
Manufacturing Company to the CSA in 1863. A major supplier of munitions to the
Confederacy, the iron works and surrounding town were obliterated by Union
troops in 1864. For more information, please visit the
Cartersville-Barlow County,
GA Visitor Center.
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Etowah -
Fuller obtains the
Yonah
and continues to chase the General.
Please click on on link to view map.
Etowah (river), Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 43 miles
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Kingston - The General is
delayed one hour while waiting for southbound trains to pass. The
pursuers left Kingston on the
William R. Smith,
a locomotive from the Rome Railroad, and headed toward Adairsville. Just
south of town, the raiders stopped to tear up the track. Fuller was forced
to abandon the
William R. Smith and continued on foot.
Local
history is presented in the
Kingston Woman's
History Museums.
Please click on on link to view map.
Kingston, Bartow, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 59 miles
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to map]
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Rome - Rome was the terminus of the
Rome Railroad from Rome to Kingston. The history of the Rome area is presented
in the Rome Area History
Museum.
Please click on on link to view map.
Rome, Georgia, United States
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Cass Station -
Andrews stopped here to get water and wood. The stationmaster
gave him a train schedule to assist him in taking ammunition to
General Beauregard. The
station, along with
much of the city of Cassville was destroyed by
Sherman's Fifth Ohio Cavalry on November 5th
1864.
Distance from Atlanta: 52 miles
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Cassville - Please visit the
Cassville Historical
Society for information on the city's role in the Civil War.
Please click on on link to view map.
Cassville, Bartow, Georgia, United States
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to map]
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 Adairsville - Fuller seized the
Texas,
which was headed southward along the Western and Atlantic Rail Road and
continued pursuing the General in reverse.
Please visit the
Adairsville Visitor Center and History Museum to learn more about the
community's role in the Civil War. Please click the
Texas
link to learn more about the engine.
Please click on on link to view map.
Adairsville, Bartow, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 69 miles
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to map]
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Calhoun
- Fuller and Murphy catch first sight of the General between Calhoun and Resaca.
Please click on on link to view map.
Calhoun, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 78 miles
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Resaca
- The train thieves tried to burn the bridge at the Oostanaula River near
Resaca, but the pursuers were too close behind, so close that at Tilton the
General could take on only a little water and wood.
Please click on on link to view map.
Resaca, Gordon, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 84 miles
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to map]
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Dalton - Telegraph operator sends message to
Chattanooga. In 1847, the newly renamed town of
Dalton was defined as a mile
radius from the city center - the Western and Atlantic depot.
Dalton, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 100 miles
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 Tunnel Hill - The tunnel
was completed in 1850, the first railroad tunnel built south of the Mason-Dixon
line. It runs through nearby Chetogetta Mountain. The tunnel is 1,477 feet in
length and took nearly two years to build.
Please click on on link to view map.
Tunnel Hill, Whitfield, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 107 miles
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to map]
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 Ringgold - The
General abandoned at
1:00 pm about two miles north of Ringgold. There is a marker commemorating
the location. The
Ringgold Depot was built in 1849.
Please click on on link to view map.
Ringgold, Catoosa, Georgia, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 115 miles
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 Chattanooga
- The intended destination of the Andrews raiders was the last resting place for
those raiders executed. The bodies of Andrews and his seven compatriots
who were hung were recovered and buried at the
National Cemetery
in Chattanooga.Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Distance from Atlanta: 138 miles
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Players:
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Union:
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James
Andrews - Leader - Civilian - Hung
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Pvt. William Bensinger
- 21st Ohio - Exchanged
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Pvt. Wilson Wright Brown
- 21st Ohio - Escaped
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Pvt. Robert Buffum
- 21st Ohio - Exchanged
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William Campbell
- Civilian - Hung
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Cpl. Daniel Allen Dorsey
- 33rd Ohio - Escaped
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Cpl. Martin Jones Hawkins
- 33rd Ohio - Escaped
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Pvt. William James Knight
- 21st Ohio - Escaped
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Cpl. Samuel Llewellyn
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forced to
enlist in a Confederate unit before reaching Marietta
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Sgt. Elihu Harlam Mason
- 21st Ohio - Exchanged
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Pvt. Jacob Wilson Parrott
- 33rd Ohio - Exchanged
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Sgt. William Pittenger
- 2nd Ohio - Exchanged
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Pvt. John Reed Porter
- 21st Ohio - Escaped
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Cpl. William Henry Harrison Reddick
- 33rd Ohio -
Exchanged
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Pvt. Samuel Robertson
- 33rd Ohio -
Hung
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Sgt. Maj. Marion A. Ross
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2nd Ohio -
Hung
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Sgt. John Morehead Scott
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21st Ohio - Hung
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Pvt. Charles Perry Shadrack
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2nd Ohio -
Hung
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Pvt. Samuel Slavens
- 33rd Ohio -
Hung
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Pvt. James Ovid Wellford Smith
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forced to enlist in a
Confederate unit before reaching Marietta
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George D. Wilson -
2nd Ohio -
Hung
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Pvt. John Alfred Wilson
- 21st Ohio - Escaped
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Pvt. John Wollam
- 33rd Ohio - Escaped
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Pvt. Mark Wood
- 21st Ohio
- Escaped
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Confederate:
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William Allen Fuller
- Train
Conductor
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E. Jefferson Cain
- Engineer
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Anthony Murphy
- Foreman of Motive and Machine Power
Medal of Honor Winners
- The nineteen soldiers
that were awarded the Medal of Honor for involvement in the raid are shown
in red.
Andrews was not given an award.
Sources:
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This interactive map is
based on information from Russell S. Bonds' book
Stealing the General - The Great Locomotive
Chase and the First Medal of Honor,
Westholme Publishing, c 2007.
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Russell Bonds
has produced an excellent book that tells the story of the Great Train Robbery
in a well-documented and entertaining fashion. We highly recommend this
book for all those who want a real life adventure story.
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Map of The
Great Locomotive Chase - from April 12, 1962 souvenir cover marking the
centennial of the chase.
Related Websites:
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The Andrews Raid
- Railfanning.org - Great site with pictures of stops along route and nice
picture of the General
Recommended Resources:
Return to Battlefield Road Trips
Revised
06/07/2008 |
