Posted on 06/18/2024 9:50:14 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1862, seven federal raiders were hanged in Atlanta for the daring heist of a Confederate train two months prior. Among them were some of the very first Congressional Medal of Honor awardees.
In terms of its impact on the Civil War, the “Great Locomotive Chase” was a bust. But as pure Americana, you’ll have a hard job to top this caper.
The chase began a year to the day after the first shots had been fired between North and South. Despite the anniversary, the occasion promised nothing but the routine northbound passenger run for the locomotive General from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn.
This line was a spur of the Confederate rail network, and we have already noted in these pages the interest that network held for pro-Union saboteurs. Chattanooga was its great hub: telegraph and rail lines from every quarter of the Confederacy converged there like the center of a spiderweb.....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
I remember reading about this when I was very young, and being bummed out that they got caught.
....very interesting....I believe there was a movie made about this adventure back in the 1950s...1960s...?
BTW...it is the “Medal of Honor”....it is awarded in the name of the Congress of the United States and whenever possible, it is made by the President of the United States in person....it is often mistitled the “Congressional Medal of Honor” but this is technically not correct........
“the General came to the end of her legendary run about 18 miles from Chattanooga.” The actual “end” location is about 2 miles east of Ringgold, GA. There is a historical marker there and also one at the train station in the small town of Ringgold.
1956 Disney movie, before Dizzley went woke and gay
Cast
Fess Parker as James J. Andrews, Union spy and leader of the volunteers
Jeffrey Hunter as William A. Fuller, conductor of the Confederate train
Jeff York as William Campbell, Union civilian Volunteer
John Lupton as Cpl. William Pittenger, Union soldier
Eddie Firestone as Robert Buffum, Union soldier
Kenneth Tobey as Anthony Murphy, Confederate railroad superintendent
Don Megowan as Marion A. Ross, Union soldier
Claude Jarman Jr. as Jacob Parrott, Union soldier, first Medal of Honor recipient
Harry Carey Jr. as William Bensinger, Union soldier
Leonard P. Geer as James A. Wilson (as Lennie Geer), Union soldier
George Robotham as William Knight, Union soldier/civilian train engineer/fireman
Stan Jones as Wilson W. Brown, Union soldier/civilian train engineer/fireman
Marc Hamilton as John Wollam, Union soldier
John Wiley as John M. Scott, Union soldier
Slim Pickens as Pete Bracken
Morgan Woodward as Alex, a Confederate soldier singing on troop train
W.S. Bearden as Switchman
Harvey Hester as Jess McIntyre
Chuck Roberson as Confederate Prison Captain (uncredited)
Dick Sargent as Unnamed Union soldier (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel as Alonzo Martin (uncredited)
Brilliant!
Do you know the author? He’s a phenomenal writer.
...thanks....!! I wasn’t even in my teens when this movie came out but I do remember my Mom taking me to a local theater to see it...brings back memories....!!
bkmk
Bump for Kennesaw, Georgia where The General resides at Big Shanty Station.
Thanks for posting.
That movie was on one of the western channels a few days ago. Pretty good movie.
William Fuller is in my Fuller ancestry line. I’m not a direct descendant, but a cousin. “My” Fullers were a colorful bunch!
1926, starring Buster Keaton. The movie is "The General" and it is absolutely hilarious.
More correctly, the marker is about 2 miles north of Ringgold.
Thank you for the correction. I was trying to remember from my visit there nearly 20 years ago when I was at the Catoosa TN ARNG Training Area. I was a Dept Army civilian historian by then, after 20 years active duty and was training Military History Detachments before they deployed to the Middle East.
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