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The Great Locomotive Chase or '''Andrews's Raid''' was a military raid that occurred April 12 , 1862 , in northern Georgia during the American Civil War . Volunteers from the Union Army stole a Train in an effort to disrupt the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A), which ran from Atlanta, Georgia , to Chattanooga, Tennessee . They were pursued by other Locomotive s, and the raiders were eventually captured, with some being executed as Spies . BACKGROUND Major General Ormsby M. Mitchel commanded the Federal troops in Tennessee . He planned to move southeast with his army and seize Huntsville, Alabama , before turning east in hopes of capturing Chattanooga, Tennessee . James J. Andrews proposed a daring raid aimed at destroying the Western & Atlantic Railroad link to Chattanooga, isolating the city from Atlanta. He recruited a civilian named William Campbell, as well as 22 volunteer Union soldiers from three Ohio regiments. Andrews instructed the men to arrive in Marietta, Georgia by midnight of April 10 . With the plans delayed a day by heavy rain, they traveled in small parties in civilian clothing to avoid arousing suspicion. All but two men were able to reach the designated rendezvous point at the appointed time. THE CHASE On the morning of April 12, a passenger train with the locomotive '' General '' was stopped at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw, Georgia ) so that the crew and passengers could have breakfast. Andrews and his raiders took this opportunity to Hijack the ''General'' and a few railcars. His goal was to drive the train northward toward Chattanooga and meet up with Mitchel's advancing army. En route, Andrews planned to tear up track, destroy switches, burn Covered Bridge s along the railway, disrupt Telegraph wires, and inflict as much damage as possible to the railroad. Andrews' men commandeered the ''General'' and steamed out of Big Shanty, leaving behind startled passengers, crew members, and onlookers, which included a number of Confederate soldiers from a trackside camp. The train's Conductor , William Fuller , chased the ''General'' by foot and Handcar . At Etowah, Fuller spotted the '' Yonah '' and with it chased the raiders north, all the way up to Kingston . At Kingston, Conductor Fuller got on the '' William R. Smith '' and headed north to Adairsville . The tracks two miles south of Adairsville were out of service, so Fuller had to run the distance by foot. At Adairsville, Fuller took command of the locomotive '' Texas '' and chased the ''General''. With the ''Texas'' chasing the ''General'' in reverse, the two trains steamed through Dalton , and Tunnel Hill . At various points, raiders severed telegraph wires so no transmissions could go through to Chattanooga. However, their objective of burning bridges and dynamiting Tunnel Hill was not accomplished. At Milepost 116.3 (north of Ringgold, Georgia ), with the locomotive failing, Andrews' men abandoned the ''General'' and scattered, just a few miles from Chattanooga. Andrews and all 21 of his men were caught by the Confederates, including two that had missed the hijacking that morning by oversleeping. He and 7 of his men were tried in Chattanooga and found guilty. Andrews was executed by Hanging on June 7 in Atlanta. On June 18 , the 7 convicted spies were also hanged; their bodies were buried unceremoniously in an unmarked grave. Six raiders escaped confinement and returned to safety. The remaining eight were exchanged as Prisoners Of War on March 17 , 1863 . The very first Medals Of Honor were given to these men by Secretary Of War Edwin M. Stanton . Later, all but three of other soldiers also received them (posthumously for those who had been executed); as civilians, Andrews and Campbell were not eligible. The pursuit of Andrews' Raiders formed the basis of the Buster Keaton silent film '' The General '' and a dramatic 1956 Walt Disney film, '' The Great Locomotive Chase ''. W&A IN MODERN TIMES Today, the W&A has not changed much since the chase of 1862. A marker indicating where the chase began is near the Big Shanty Museum in Kennesaw. A marker where the chase ended is at Milepost 116.3, north of Ringgold — which is not far from the recently restored depot at Milepost 114.5. A monument dedicated to Andrews' Raiders is located at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. There is a scale model of the ''General'' on top of the monument, and a brief history of the Great Locomotive Chase. The ''General'' is now in the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, Kennesaw, Georgia; while The ''Texas'' is on display at the Atlanta Cyclorama . SEE ALSO
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