The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Recipients of the Medal of Honor

Quick answer: What was the Great Locomotive Chase?

On April 12, 1862, civilian scout James J. Andrews and about two dozen Union soldiers seized the locomotive General at Big Shanty, Georgia, and raced north toward Chattanooga, trying to wreck the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Pursued by Confederates, they abandoned the train near Ringgold. Eight raiders, including Andrews, were hanged, and on March 25, 1863, six raiders became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor.

On April 12, 1862, Union soldiers and two civilians stole a train on the Western and Atlantic Railroad in Georgia and ran it north toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, trying to cut tracks, bridges, and telegraph lines behind them. The raid is remembered as the Great Locomotive Chase, or Andrews' Raid. Its leader, civilian scout James J. Andrews, recruited about two dozen men from the 21st and 33rd Ohio Infantry, plus one other civilian, William Hunter Campbell. They traveled in small groups to Marietta, a day late because of heavy rain. The next morning they boarded a northbound train and, while passengers and crew ate breakfast at Big Shanty, uncoupled the locomotive General, a 4-4-0 built by Rogers in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1855, along with three boxcars. Confederate pursuers followed on foot, by handcar, and finally by locomotive. Southbound trains on the single track held the raiders up. About 18 miles south of Chattanooga, out of fuel and water, they abandoned the General and scattered on foot. All were captured. Andrews and seven others were hanged in Atlanta that June. Eight escaped. The remaining six were exchanged on March 17, 1863. A week later, on March 25, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton received them in his office and presented the first Medals of Honor, the first going to Private Jacob Parrott. Andrews and Campbell, as civilians, were not eligible. Although the raid failed, it showed the determination and courage of men on both sides. The General is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Why it matters for leaders: The raiders failed in their mission, but the courage they showed set the standard for the nation's highest military honor.

Q: Who received the first Medal of Honor?

A: Private Jacob Parrott of the 33rd Ohio Infantry, one of Andrews' Raiders, on March 25, 1863.

Q: Where is the General today?

A: At the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, the former Big Shanty where it was stolen.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation