AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Union

Andrews Raid (1862)

On April 12, 1862, James J. Andrews and a group of Union soldiers in civilian clothes hijacked a Confederate train ("The General") at what is today Kennesaw, Georgia. The attempt ultimately failed, and the raiders were captured. Andrews and seven others were convicted of espionage and hanged. Six of the surviving members became the first recipients of the newly created Medal of Honor. The raid has been portrayed in the movies on at least three occasions.

Hughes, Brent. "Yankee Spies and Rebel Pursuers in 'the Great Locomotive Chase.'" Washington Times National Weekly Edition, 28 Sep.-4 Oct. 1998, 28.

This is a brief factual recitation.

O'Neill, Charles Kendall. Wild Train: The Story of Andrews' Raiders. New York: Random House, 1956.

O'Neill theorizes that Andrews was a Finnish-born former officer in the Russian Army.

Pittenger, William. Capturing a Locomotive: A History of Secret Service in the Late War. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1884. [http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/refBibs/intell/civwar.htm]

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