The Great Locomotive Chase (Andrews' Raid)
- When
- 1862
- Where
- Big Shanty, Georgia; Ringgold, Georgia
- Episodes
- 3
Union volunteers led by civilian scout James J. Andrews stole the locomotive The General at Big Shanty, Georgia, on April 12, 1862. They raced north toward Chattanooga to damage the Western and Atlantic Railroad, pursued by conductor William Fuller. Captured raiders were executed as spies, while survivors later received the Medal of Honor.
Episodes
- Theft at Big Shanty
Union volunteers stole locomotive The General at Big Shanty, Georgia, on April 12, 1862, during a breakfast stop.
- Pursuit by Fuller
Conductor William Fuller chased the stolen train on foot, handcar, and locomotives Yonah and Texas.
- Abandonment Near Ringgold
Raiders abandoned the General near Ringgold, Georgia, due to fuel shortage, scattering as they were captured.
Background and detail
Background. Andrews, a Kentucky-born civilian scout for Major General Don Carlos Buell, proposed a raid to destroy the Western and Atlantic Railroad as a reinforcement link to Chattanooga. He recruited the men later known as the Andrews Raiders to steal a train north of Atlanta. The plan involved damaging tracks, bridges, and telegraph wires to prevent Confederate troop movements from Atlanta to Chattanooga.
The Chase. The raid began at Big Shanty when the locomotive General stopped for breakfast. Conductor William Fuller chased the stolen train on foot and by handcar, then commandeered locomotives Yonah and Texas. Andrews claimed his train was a special ammunition movement ordered by General Beauregard. Fuller alerted Chattanooga authorities before the telegraph wire was cut north of Dalton.
People involved
- James J. Andrews · Civilian scout and raid leader
- William Allen Fuller · Train conductor and pursuer
- William "Bill" Campbell · Civilian participant in the raid
- Don Carlos Buell · Major General who authorized the expedition
- Joseph Holt · Judge Advocate General
Sources
- Great Locomotive Chase Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10
- James J. Andrews Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-04
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.