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In early 1862, Brig. Gen. Ormsby Mitchel, commanding Union troops in central Tennessee, began planning to advance on Huntsville, Alabama before attacking towards the vital transportation hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Though eager to take the latter city, he lacked sufficient forces to block any Confederate counterattacks from Atlanta to the south. Moving north from Atlanta, Confederate forces could quickly arrive in the Chattanooga area by using the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Aware of the General's strategic predicament, civilian scout and part-time spy James J. Andrews, an enigmatic Kentuckian who had made a name for himself by smuggling much-needed quinine sulfate through the Union lines for Confederate Soldiers and citizens, proposed a raid designed to sever the rail connection between the two cities.
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Andrews' plan was to lead a raiding party behind Confederate lines to Atlanta, steal a locomotive, and race northward toward Chattanooga stopping to destroy or damage tracks, telegraph lines, and bridges. The goal of the raid was to knock out the Western & Atlantic Railroad, which supplied Confederate forces at Chattanooga. This destructive siege would be happening at the same time Mitchel's army advanced. It was also meant to deprive the Confederates of the integrated use of the railways to counter a Union advance.
Approving Andrews' scheme, Gen. Mitchel directed him to select volunteers to aid the mission from Col. Joshua W. Sill's brigade. On April 7, 1862, Andrews recruited twenty-two Union Soldier volunteers from the 2nd, 21st, and 33rd Ohio Infantry, plus civilian William Hunter Campbell. He was also joined by experienced engineers William Knight, Wilson Brown, and John Wilson. Andrews instructed his men to arrive in Marietta, Georgia, by midnight of April 10, 1862, for last-minute instruction.
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Over the next three days, the Union men slipped through the Confederate lines in small groups disguised in civilian attire. If questioned, they had been provided with a cover story explaining that they were from Fleming County, Kentucky and were looking for a Confederate unit in which to enlist. Due to heavy rains and rough travel, Andrews was forced to delay the raid by a day. Meeting early the next morning on April 11th, Andrews issued final instructions to his men which called for them to board the train the following morning (April 12, 1862) and sit in the same car. They were to do nothing until the train reached Big Shanty at which point Andrews and the engineer would take the locomotive while the others uncoupled the train's passenger cars.
All but two - Samuel Llewellyn and James Smith - reached the designated rendezvous point at the appointed time. Llewellyn and Smith joined a Confederate artillery unit, as they had been instructed to do in such circumstances. Two others were captured as they tried to slip through the Confederate lines.
As the "Andrews' Raiders" assembled at the Marietta station in the early morning darkness on April 12, the train they planned to steal (The General) had already left Atlanta. In the cars of this combined freight-passenger train, conductor William A. Fuller was checking on his passengers. As he moved through the passenger cars he greeted Anthony Murphy, the mustachioed Irish foreman of Locomotive Power for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Murphy was on his way to the yard at Allatoona Pass to pick up a part. As the train left the station a cool spring rain pelted the windows. It was 4:15 am.
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Crossing the Chattahoochee River at Bolton, then passing through Vinings, The General arrived at the depot in Marietta about 5:00 am. In small groups, Andrews' men boarded the train and found seats throughout the passenger car.
Departing Marietta, it would be a short time later that the train arrived in Big Shanty, an outpost for travelers between Atlanta and Chattanooga. Though the depot was surrounded by Confederate Camp McDonald, Andrews had selected it as the ideal location for taking over the train since it did not have a telegraph. As a result, the Confederates at Big Shanty would have to ride to Marietta in order to alert the authorities farther north.
As the train slowed for Big Shanty, conductor William Fuller shouted out to the passengers, "20 minutes for breakfast." The General stopped, the crew and some of the passengers headed to the Lacy Hotel less than a block from the depot. A few minutes later Andrews signaled his men to take control of the train.
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The Raiders quickly uncoupled the passenger cars and jumped into three box cars while engineer William Knight jumped into the cab, throwing the throttle wide open, lurching the train forward, slowly gaining speed but almost immediately began losing power. Knight brought the train to a stop while he corrected the problem, then returned to the cab and eased the train out of the yard.
As the train slowly inched north past the Lacy Hotel, it drew William Fuller's attention as he glanced out the dining room window and shouted, "Someone is stealing our train." He and another railroad man stood up and quickly began a foot chase. Anthony Murphy paused briefly to get a man to ride to the depot in Marietta and tell them what happened. He then followed his friends up the track towards a work area known as Moon's Station.
Not far ahead of them, The General stopped twice between Big Shanty and Moon's Station, once for the mechanical problem and once to cut the telegraph wires to prevent the stations further north from receiving word from Marietta that a train had been stolen. Union forces in Bridgeport, Alabama were advancing towards Chattanooga and the Raiders' job was to destroy bridges and tear up track to prevent reinforcements coming from Atlanta. After passing through Acworth and Allatoona, Andrews stopped the train so his men could remove a rail from the tracks. Though time consuming, they were successful and placed it on one of the box cars.
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Chattanooga and the Raiders' job was to destroy bridges and tear up track to prevent reinforcements coming from Atlanta. After passing through Acworth and Allatoona, Andrews stopped the train so his men could remove a rail from the tracks. Though time-consuming, they were successful and placed it on one of the box cars.
Reaching Moon's Station on foot, Fuller, Murphy and the third man were able to obtain a handcar and continued down the line in pursuit of the stolen train. Fuller's men did not slow at Allatoona and did not see the track raised by the Raiders. The hand car flew into the air when it hit the empty space, throwing the pursuers into a ditch. Unharmed, they were able to place the handcar back on the rails and continued heading north toward Etowah River.
Throughout the chase, the Raiders never got far ahead of Fuller. Destroying the railway behind the hijacked train was a slow process, the Raiders were too few in number and were too poorly equipped with the proper railway track tools and demolition equipment, or with suitable igniters and explosives to effectively close the line. Also, the Raiders had stolen a regularly scheduled train on its route and they needed to keep to the train's timetable. If they reached a siding ahead of schedule, they had to wait there until scheduled southbound trains passed them before they could continue north.
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With Fuller hot in pursuit, the Raiders crossed the large, wooden railroad bridge over the Etowah River where they spotted the short-line locomotive 'Yonah,' used by Major Cooper's Iron Foundry. The presence of the engine and men meant that the Raiders could not destroy the bridge they had just crossed - a major target of the raid. Engineer Knight suggested they should destroy the locomotive to prevent men from following them. Andrews said no. He did not want to delay their arriving at Kingston. As it turned out later, that was a big mistake.
Upon reaching Etowah River shortly after The General departed, Fuller and his men seized control of the Yonah locomotive and moved it onto the main line. As Fuller raced north, Andrews and his men paused at Cass Station to refuel. While there, he informed one of the station employees that they were carrying ammunition north for Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's army. To aid the train's progress, the employee gave Andrews the day's train schedule.
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For the Raiders, Kingston would be a major hurdle. There was a switching station here that coordinated trains from Rome, Chattanooga and Atlanta and even under normal conditions it was difficult. But these were bad times for the Confederacy; Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard had just lost the Battle of Shiloh on April 9th and Gen. Mitchel had just taken Huntsville. Mitchel taking Huntsville was good news for the Raiders as that was part of the plan that sent them south. What Andrews did not consider was that with Huntsville under Union control, supplies and troops heading west would have to travel to Atlanta then west instead of moving west out of Chattanooga. This caused the single line of the Western & Atlantic Railroad to be overburdened with traffic which stalled the progress of the Raiders in Kingston for an hour, giving Fuller all the time he needed to catch up.
To make matters worse, the railroad men in Kingston were very inquisitive and one even refused to switch Andrews to the correct track at one point. Things were going so bad at the stop that the men in the boxcar had been told to be ready to fight. The General was halted while a rail was removed and ties thrown into the boxcar. Then, from the south came the plaintiff cry of a locomotive whistle. No northbound train should be following them which meant their pursuers were not that far behind. As rapidly as they could, Andrews' Raiders pulled out of Kingston and raced north toward Adairsville.
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By the time the pursuers arrived in Kingston, Andrews was long gone. Fuller's veteran eyes quickly sized up the situation. Getting the Yonah through would be impossible but the mail train to Rome, the 'William R. Smith,' was in position and fired up with a full head of steam. Oliver Harbin and his crew, including brakeman Joe Lassiter, a free black, did not hesitate to help Fuller. The William R. Smith then started north to Adairsville in hot pursuit of The General.
Aware of Fuller rapidly closing the gap, Andrews stopped the General and took out more tracks between Kingston and Adairsville in a determined attempt to slow or hopefully stop his pursers.
Knowing Andrews had no doubt taking out more track, Fuller chose to ride in the cab to check for problems ahead. This time he saw the missing rail and had Olly Harbin stop the locomotive in time. Fuller doggedly continued but now Andrews and his Raiders were gaining precious time with every minute that went by, allowing them even more time to take out additional rails.
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The General arrived in Adairsville quickly but now the questions were mounting. Out of touch with Atlanta for hours and now being unable to reach Kingston, the stationmaster and workers were understandably suspicious of the crew of The General. They barraged Andrews with questions, but the Kentuckian convinced them of his mission and he found out that Mitchel indeed was moving on Chattanooga. As the southbound freight train "The Texas" cleared the depot's platform, Andrews and the Raiders headed north, stopping again to quickly rip out tracks.
Once north of Adairsville, Andrews told Knight to open up the throttle on The General. There would be ample opportunity to see any oncoming smoke plumes in the short, rolling hills in the Great Valley of northwest Georgia. Near Calhoun they narrowly avoided colliding with 'The Catoosa,' and after a brief exchange of words the Raiders continued north.
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To the south, Fuller spotted the damaged tracks and succeeded in halting William R. Smith. Leaving the locomotive, his team moved north on foot until meeting "The Texas." Standing in the middle of the tracks with a gun in his hand, Fuller waved the Texas down. Peter Bracken, engineer of the Texas, recognized Fuller and immediately stopped. After a quick explanation, Fuller and his men were loaded up and the Texas was off. There had been no place nor time to turn around, so The Texas returned in reverse to Adairsville where the freight cars were uncoupled.
Once north of Adairsville, Andrews told Knight to open up the throttle on The General. There would be ample opportunity to see any oncoming smoke plumes in the short, rolling hills in the Great Valley of northwest Georgia. Near Calhoun they narrowly avoided colliding with 'The Catoosa,' and after a brief exchange of words, the spies continued north.
After passing The Catoosa on a siding, the Texas was now in hot pursuit of the Raiders with The Catoosa behind it, both chasing The General in reverse! North of Calhoun the Southern pursuers and the Union raider first spotted each other. Andrews and his men set fire to the car at the end of the train and dropped it in the middle of the covered railroad bridge over the Oostanaula River just south of Resaca.
Smoke billowed out of both ends of the bridge but Fuller and his men entered the structure and pushed the car out. The bridge had not been in peril from Andrews actions because of the steady rain. As The General moved north through the town of Resaca, the Raiders tried to block the Texas by dropping railroad ties. Again, this effort failed to slow Fuller and his men.
The diligent pursuit of Fuller was beginning to pay off. Andrews had exhausted his wood supply trying to set the car on fire to burn the Oostanaula Bridge and water was in short supply. A quick attempt to replenish the thirsty locomotive and refill her tender was made at Green's Wood Station for wood and Tilton for water. For the Raiders, Dalton was the next major obstacle.
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When 18-year-old telegrapher Edward Henderson began a southbound journey on foot from Dalton, he was surprised when The General raced by at full steam with a crew he had never seen before. Continuing southward, Henderson saw The Texas just north of Calhoun heading his way. Seeing Henderson, Fuller told Bracken to slow down and pick the boy up, then wrote out a message to Gen. Leadbetter, commanding the troops in Chattanooga. In Dalton, the Texas slowed to drop the young man off. He ran to the telegraph office and sent the following message: "My train was captured this a.m. at Big Shanty, evidently by Federal Soldiers in disguise. They are making rapidly for Chattanooga, possibly with the idea of burning the railroad bridges in their rear. If I do not capture them in the meantime, see that they do not pass Chattanooga."
Before the entire message got through Andrews Raiders, fearful of an attempt to warn the Rebel forces in Chattanooga, cut the wire north of Dalton, but enough of the message was received in Chattanooga that Gen. Danville Leadbetter sent troops south along the Western and Atlantic right-of-way to halt the engine by force if necessary. It was not. With wood and water running out, Knight and Andrews knew the end was near. Then, just after the Ringgold Depot, a small valve blew and the locomotive quickly lost power.
Racing through Tunnel Hill, Andrews was unable to stop to repair the damage due to the close proximity of Texas. With the enemy nearing and General's fuel nearly depleted, Andrews directed his men to abandon the train just short of Ringgold. Jumping to the ground, they scattered into the wilderness.
They fled west for two reasons: it was towards the area under Union control and the rugged mountain south of Chattanooga could cover their movement and help prevent Confederate cavalry patrols from finding them. In spite of their plans, over the next several days, the entire raiding party was captured by Confederate forces. While the civilian members of Andrews' group were considered unlawful combatants and spies, the entire group was charged with acts of unlawful belligerency.
Tried in Chattanooga, Andrews was found guilty and hanged in Atlanta on June 7. Seven others were later tried and quickly hanged on June 18th. Of the remainder, eight, who were concerned about meeting a similar fate, successfully escaped. Those who remained in Confederate custody were exchanged as Prisoners of War on March 17, 1863.
 Through a dramatic series of events, the Great Locomotive Chase proved a failure for Union forces. As a result, Chattanooga did not fall to Union forces until September 1863 when it was taken by Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans. Despite this setback, April 1862 saw notable successes for Union forces as Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant won the Battle of Shiloh and Flag Officer David G. Farragut captured New Orleans.
Gen. Mitchel's forces captured Huntsville on April 11 but did not move on to Chattanooga. The cut telegraph lines and pried rails were quickly repaired. Nevertheless, the train thieves were hailed in the North as heroes and the Soldier-Raiders received the Medal of Honor. Neither Andrews nor the other civilian was eligible.
 The escapade made its way into a film with Buster Keaton's silent comedy The General (1927) and Walt Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase (1956). That a failed historical footnote should kindle such drama fairly attests to the Civil War's emotional spark.
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