The Andrews Railroad Raid

[major bill]

This month's CWRT talk is by Dr. Bob Goulding and about The Andrews Railroad Raid. So maybe I will review the Raid prior to the meeting. So what do I need to know about the Andrews Raid?

 

[5fish]

Here...

The Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid was a military raid that occurred on April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J. Andrews, commandeered a train, The General, and took it northward toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) line from Atlanta to Chattanooga as they went. They were pursued by Confederate forces at first on foot, and later on a succession of locomotives, including The Texas, for 87 miles.

Because the Union men had cut the telegraph wires, the Confederates could not send warnings ahead to forces along the railway. Confederates eventually captured the raiders and quickly executed some as spies, including Andrews; some others were able to flee. Some of the raiders were the first to be awarded the Medal of Honor by the US Congress for their actions. As a civilian, Andrews was not eligible.

This..

Medal of Honor: Andrews' Raiders One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell) penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and tracks between Chattanooga and Atlanta. This is an example of the citation in which the Medal of Honor was awarded to nineteen of the twenty-four participants in the Great Locomotive Chase, a daring military mission breaching Confederate lines. Twenty-two of the men were military and known in history as "Andrews' Raiders." Six of the raiders were the very first to receive the Medal of Honor on March 25, 1863. The other thirteen men received the medal later for the same action. Seven raiders received their honor posthumously, some in September 1863 and others after the war.

This...

Andrews' Raid had no military effect upon the war effort. Cut communication lines and damaged track were quickly repaired. The raiders, however, suffered at the hands of the Confederates. Eight of the twenty-one captured men were tried as spies and hanged in Atlanta. The eight included James Andrews, executed on June 7, 1862, and six U.S. soldiers and one civilian executed on June 18. The remaining captured men went to prison camps. Six of the Andrews Raiders were released from prison in a prisoner exchange; these men were awarded the Medal of Honor on March 25, 1863. The remaining raiders escaped from prison. Later, the award was given to those soldiers who escaped and five of those Samuel Slavens, last raider to receive the medal, in 1883, c.1861. Ancestry.com. John Scott was hanged as a spy for participating in the raid, c.1860. Ancestry.com. 2 hanged as spies. Neither of the two civilians, nor Private Charles Shadrach, received the honor.

https://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/pdf/Medal_of_Honor_Narratives_Andrews_Raiders.pdf

 

[major bill]

I am planning on going to the Ann Arbor CWRT unless something comes up and think I will enjoy the presentation.

 

[redbob]

An ok plan that could have used some more recon and planning with the surprising part being that it worked as well as it did. The Alabama Civil War Roundtable's speaker this week is a retired Special Forces General who will be speaking on the Campaigns of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

 

[leftyhunter]

This month's CWRT talk is by Dr. Bob Goulding and about The Andrews Railroad Raid. So maybe I will review the Raid prior to the meeting. So what do I need to know about the Andrews Raid?

The History Channel had a good documentary on the Andrews Raid. Buster Keaton made a movie based on the raid forgot the title maybe " the General" in the 1920s. Netflux has it.
Leftyhunter

 

[redbob]

If you get interested enough to purchase a book on the subject, Stealing the General by Russel S. Bonds is in my opinion a good book on the subject.

 

[major bill]

When we had an extra day with little to do while in Atlanta, my wife wanted to go see some museum that had a display on this. We ended up doing something else.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Sir;

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/th...ase-1862-andrews-raiders.112148/#post-1096605

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-andrews-railroad-raid-or.84448/#post-646694

HTH,
USS ALASKA

 

[redbob]

When we had an extra day with little to do while in Atlanta, my wife wanted to go see some museum that had a display on this. We ended up doing something else.

Both the General and the Texas are on display in the Atlanta area, one in Atlanta and one in Kennesaw. The execution places of the raiders and Andrew's are also in Atlanta.

 

[major bill]

We should have went when we had an extra day to kill while we were in Atlanta.

 

[uaskme]

The Story is worth reading a book on it. I live about 8 miles from the marker that denotes where the General ran out of Steam.

 

[JOHN42768]

If you get interested enough to purchase a book on the subject, Stealing the General by Russel S. Bonds is in my opinion a good book on the subject.

Great book. Completely agree

 

[mobile_96]

Great book. Completely agree

In Jan, 2008, in a chat room via the old Civilwarhome.com , we discussed the book over a 7 wk period, Russell joining us on the 4th wk.
The discussion is still available at the site, for any interested, via, http://civilwarhome.com/stealingthegeneralintro.html

 

[mobile_96]

Almost forgot. Bonds grew up in the Big Shanty area. IIRC