The Great Locomotive Chase was a daring military action initiated on 12 April 1862, in northern Georgia, during the American Civil War. Conceived by civilian scout James J. Andrews and executed by Union Army volunteers, this mission sought to cripple the Confederate stronghold by disrupting the Western and Atlantic Railroad. In a meticulous chain of events, members cut telegraph wires, destroyed track switches and bridges, and ultimately commandeered the steam engine General to redirect toward Chattanooga, Tennessee. This offensive march spanned 87 miles and evaded initial Confederate attempts at interdiction due to the severed communication lines.

Though the chase ended in the capture of most Union men by Confederate Colonel William Aiken in Ringgold, Georgia, it represents a significant chapter of Civil War history. The subsequent trial led to the execution of Andrews and seven other Union spies by hanging, with the remaining men held as prisoners-of-war until their release two years later. The resilience and decisive action displayed by Union soldiers during the Great Locomotive Chase ultimately resulted in the first instances of the newly instituted Medal of Honor being awarded to non-military personnel, acknowledging the extraordinary valor in the face of adversity.

Despite initial attempts by Confederate forces to stop them, the Union soldiers managed to evade capture for 87 miles thanks to their strategic disruption of communication lines. However, the chase came to an end when Confederate forces, under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, persevered in the pursuit. They utilized a combination of speed, intimate knowledge of the local terrain, and the tenacity to press on despite continuous setbacks. After a grueling eight-hour chase, the Union operatives were intercepted; the General ran out of wood fuel near Ringgold, allowing their Confederate pursuers to finally close in. Post-capture, due to the nature of their mission and civilian status, the apprehended men were tried as spies rather than prisoners of war. Their trial was swift, and the harsh sentences were a somber reminder of the severe consequences of espionage during wartime.

Despite the failure of their mission, the bravery and courage of the team did not go unrecognized. In fact, several members were later awarded with the Medal of Honor for their daring during this operation. Among those honored were Sergeant Elihu H. Mason, Corporal William Pittenger, Corporal William H. H. Reddick, Private William Bensinger, Private Robert Buffum, and Private Jacob Parrott.

The aftermath of the dramatic "Great Locomotive Chase" brought harsh consequences to its orchestrators. Confederate forces, deeming the actions as "acts of unlawful belligerency," brought the raiders to trial in military courts, with civilians accused of acting as spies and unlawful combatants. The eventual punishment was severe; James J. Andrews, the civilian leader, and seven others were hanged on the 7th of June in Atlanta. Their bodies were initially buried without ceremony in an unmarked grave, before being reinterred in Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Top photo: The Mitchel Raiders set a train car on fire in an attempt to set a covered railway bridge ablaze and thwart pursuit, from Deeds of valor; how America's heroes won the Medal of Honor, published in 1901. The event is referred to now as the Great Locomotive Chase, but Deeds of Valor refers to it as "The Mitchell (sic) Raid"." Source: Wikipedia. Photo in the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.

Bottom photo: The General as it is today. The locomotive and its single wood-carrying car are permanently housed at the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia. During restoration it was converted from wood-burning to coal-burning, but the stack was engineered to give the look of a coal-burning locomotive. Source: photograph by Scott Lyons. Free to copy and redistribute. Click to enlarge.

Some of the other raiders managed to escape their captivity and make it safely back to Union lines. Corporal William Pittenger, who had been part of the expedition, recounted their escape in detail, sharing that eight raiders successfully fled, despite fears of imminent execution. Nevertheless, those who were held in captivity as prisoners of war were eventually exchanged for Confederate prisoners in 1863.

The return to Union territory marked a significant turn in their story. Once in Washington, Pittenger penned a letter to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, recounting the mission and their hardships. They were subsequently given the newly created Medal of Honor, with Stanton even offering them commissions as First Lieutenants. President Abraham Lincoln continued the accolades, welcoming the raiders to the White House to honor them, a tradition for Medal of Honor recipients that continues to this day. While the Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded to families of those executed, Andrews and Campbell, being civilians, were not eligible. To this day, the last three raiders who were not awarded the Medal of Honor remain under consideration.

Recommended further reading
William Pittenger, one of the Union soldiers who participated in the Great Locomotive Chase, wrote Daring & Suffering: A History of the Andrews Railroad Raid in 1863 and the current third edition was originally published in 1887. Pittenger's work is 416 pages and has 55 pages of supplemental material. The writer's voice in 1800's dialect makes Daring & Suffering a wonderful read and worth adding to your library.   ☞ Buy on Amazon

Fast forward to 2006 for Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor by author Russell S. Bonds for an up-to-date work on this history. Bonds' contribution benefits from a look-back of 146 years worth of documents for research and investigation by the Atlanta attorney-turned-historian. This is a solid companion book to the classic written by William Pittenger.   ☞ Buy on Amazon