Hi Folks, I've had the pleasure of photographing the two locomotives involved in this amazing Civil War story and thought I'd share with you.
Here is a brief history. Much more information is available online.
The Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid was a military raid that occurred 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 ran it northward toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) supply line from Atlanta to Chattanooga as they went. They were pursued by Confederate forces at first on foot, and later by another locomotive they passed called The Texas. The Texas hastily took to the Chase in reverse (tender first) The chase lasted for 87 miles ending 2 miles north of Ringold Georgia when the General ran out of fuel. Andrews and his men abandoned the General running into the woods in hope of escape.
Because the Union men had cut the telegraph wires, the Confederates were slow to send warnings ahead to forces along the railway. Confederates eventually captured the raiders and quickly executed 6 as spies, including Andrews; some were jailed while 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. Several of the members of Andrews Raiders (including James Andrews himself) are interned at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The graves are arranged around a large monument dedicated to them with a replica of the General on top. (parts taken from Wikipedia)
The General is housed here at The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. DSC00143-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00155-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00179-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00193-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
The Texas is housed at the Atlanta History Center. DSC07950-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC07798-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC07812-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC07824-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC07830-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC02049-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC02054-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC02055-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC02056-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC02058-01 - Copy by
James Frazier, on Flickr
Nice images and a piece of history. Thanks for sharing.
Great pics and narrative.
Beautifully photographed and an interesting historic narrative! Very nice.
An interesting piece of history weii illustrated, James. I enjoyed it. 👍
Jay Pat
Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA
Very nice images!!!
I've seen the General.
Have not seen the Texas.....
Pat
DOOK
Loc: Maclean, Australia
A stunning set, James--beautifully shot.
Jay Pat wrote:
Very nice images!!!
I've seen the General.
Have not seen the Texas.....
Pat
Thanks Pat, the two locomotives are roughly 27-28 miles apart in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. One could see them both in the same day with some planning. In my case, I photographed the General first during a trip in 2017. The restore of the Texas wasn't finished till late 2018, so I just recently got around to photographing it.
Sylvias
Loc: North Yorkshire England
Doddy
Loc: Barnard Castle-England
Super shots and great info James..those are terrific Locomotives!
Thank you for the great images and the background story! 👍🤓👍
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