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Museum to hold Medal of Honor given to one of General’s raiders
MDJ Online ^ | 12/04/02 | Phillip Giltman

Posted on 12/04/2002 8:19:53 PM PST by stainlessbanner

KENNESAW — One of the first Medals of Honor ever awarded by the U.S. Congress will be a part of the expanded collection of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw on Thursday.

“To be able to have one of the first Congressional Medals of Honor in our exhibit strengthens our collection, and it’s an honor for us to present this significant moment in history,” Museum Director Jeff Drobney said Monday.

The museum will unveil Sgt. John Scott’s Congressional Medal of Honor from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday.

Scott, an Ohio native, was one of Andrews Raiders, a group of Union spies who stole the General, a Confederate locomotive, during the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase.

According to Drobney, 19 Raiders stole the General while Confederate soldiers were eating breakfast in downtown Kennesaw.

“The intent was to steal the General, destroy the bridges and take out the entire rail line from Atlanta to Chattanooga, which would be a huge setback to the Confederate Army,” he said. “They were successful in stealing the General, but then it was recaptured about 90 miles north of Kennesaw.”

The incident gained fame in the 1927 Buster Keaton film “The General” and a 1956 film “The Great Locomotive Chase” which boasted a debut at the now-defunct Strand Theater on Marietta Square.

Drobney said the Raiders did not have enough time to destroy the bridges and railroad, and eight of the Raiders were hanged for their daredevil stunt.

“You have to realize these soldiers were deep in the heart of the Confederacy, and it was a bold tactical move to steal the General under the eyes of Confederate soldiers at Camp McDonald, which is now downtown Kennesaw,” he said. “That mission alone is why several Raiders received the Congressional Medal of Honor.”

Drobney said the medal represents a significant piece of American history, but more importantly, it also represent the Raiders’ bravery to carry out their mission.

“Coming hundreds of miles into enemy territory to pull off a stunt like that is something that should never be forgotten,” he said.

Scott’s Medal of Honor was lent to the museum for 10 years by descendants of Scott’s widow, Rachel Scott of Waggoner, Ohio, who wanted to preserve the history of the General and the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase.

Drobney said Thursday’s commemoration will also include a 20-minute film explaining the story of the General.

Drobney said the museum closed last December after undergoing a $6 million renovation and will reopen on March 30.

“We are expanding from 3,800-square-foot museum to a 40,000-square-foot museum, and we will be celebrating the completion this Thursday,” he said. “We wanted people to be able to see the completion, and there will be a few exhibits to give them a taste of what’s to come,” Drobney said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: confederate; general; kennesaw; locomotivechase; medal; southern; union; yankee
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1 posted on 12/04/2002 8:19:53 PM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: CWRWinger; Kennesaw; humble; vetvetdoug; enfield
A 50,000 lb locomotive headed North on the tracks ain't hard to catch.

The General and Kennesaw Museum

Andrews Raid Web Site

2 posted on 12/04/2002 8:28:00 PM PST by stainlessbanner
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3 posted on 12/04/2002 8:29:15 PM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: stainlessbanner


19 volunteers and 2 civilians stole the locomotive "General" and led a chase from Georgia to their capture outside Chattanooga. Eight of the 19 captured, including the two civilians, were executed. The eight men are buried in Chattanooga's National Cemetery.

4 posted on 12/04/2002 8:52:50 PM PST by SAMWolf
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To: souris; SpookBrat; Victoria Delsoul; MistyCA; AntiJen; SassyMom; bluesagewoman; GatorGirl; radu; ...
Andrew's Raiders PING
5 posted on 12/04/2002 8:53:56 PM PST by SAMWolf
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To: Morgan's Raider
Ping!
6 posted on 12/04/2002 9:01:36 PM PST by Fred Mertz
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To: SAMWolf
*bump*
7 posted on 12/04/2002 9:05:51 PM PST by nicollo
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To: SAMWolf
BTTT
8 posted on 12/04/2002 9:09:10 PM PST by Soaring Feather
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To: SAMWolf
Drobney said the medal represents a significant piece of American history, but more importantly, it also represent the Raiders' bravery to carry out their mission.

"Coming hundreds of miles into enemy territory to pull off a stunt like that is something that should never be forgotten," he said.

I agree with that. Very interesting article, Sam. Thanks.

9 posted on 12/04/2002 9:14:18 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: stainlessbanner
The important thing is that the terrorists were duly apprehended.
10 posted on 12/04/2002 10:53:59 PM PST by nathanbedford
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To: SAMWolf
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum runs steam trains through a tunnel under Missinoary Ridge in Chattanooga.

I think this cemetery is the one that the rail line runs right by.
11 posted on 12/04/2002 10:58:24 PM PST by Erasmus
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To: stainlessbanner
You would think a museum director would know the correct name of the Medal of Honor.
12 posted on 12/05/2002 3:57:56 AM PST by opbuzz
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To: opbuzz
Back in that time frame what is now called the Medal of Honor was the Congressional Medal of Honor. Semper Fi
13 posted on 12/05/2002 7:00:39 AM PST by Tiger6
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To: nathanbedford
I'll bet you're sorry that they didn't hang them all.
14 posted on 12/05/2002 1:58:56 PM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: Non-Sequitur
I thought they had. Must have been an oversight.
15 posted on 12/05/2002 9:11:16 PM PST by nathanbedford
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To: nathanbedford
Well they didn't, sorry to disappoint. They sent the remainder to one of the southern POW death camps where 6 escaped and made it back to Union lines and the rest were parolled. Why the confederates chose to murder the remaining seven is a mystery to me.
16 posted on 12/06/2002 5:03:19 AM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: Non-Sequitur
I have no idea. Were they out of uniform?
17 posted on 12/06/2002 10:47:23 AM PST by nathanbedford
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To: nathanbedford
They were all out of uniform. But the confederates knew tha they were Union soldiers when they captured them.
18 posted on 12/06/2002 11:05:58 AM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: Non-Sequitur
Am I wrong in this, I thought a soldier out of uniform could be shot as a spy. Did that not obtain in the 19th century? There are good reasons for this convention if it if fact exists because soldiers as combatants are expected to observe certain rules and therefore, entitled to the protection of the rules.
19 posted on 12/06/2002 11:47:25 AM PST by nathanbedford
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To: nathanbedford
In that case the Union army would have been within their rights to shoot just about any confederate enlisted man they captured since uniforms were rare in the rebel army. Sorry, it just strikes me as an arbitrary act of murder on the part of the southern authority. If 7 deserved to hang then they all did. If 14 warrented POW camps then they all did. Why hang some and parole the others?
20 posted on 12/06/2002 11:54:42 AM PST by Non-Sequitur
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