The Great Locomotive Chase - The Andrews Raid 1862: The Andrew's Raid 1862 [Paperback]

Of course, this refers to the Andrews Raid of 1862, which began in what is now Kennesaw and ended up the line in Ringgold. Many people know the basics of the story, and one would wonder if a British book could do the raid justice. Having already talked to one aficionado of the raid's history, he gave the book a thumb's up, and I agree. It may not present any new information, but it does reprise the old information in readable fashion with some nice graphics. There are some good maps, vintage lithographs and daguerreotypes along with current photos of the pertinent sites and nice art prints of the two primary locomotives as they appeared at the time of the raid. The acknowledgments include the appropriate people at the Atlanta Cyclorama, Marietta Museum of History and Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, so the author went to the right sources. There is a listing of all the raiders, with their eventual fates, and sidebars about Andrews, William Fuller, the locomotives, and even the raiders' sidearms! A good bibliography and index provide a starting point for further research. So for around $19 you get a neat little package.

This book discusses the 1862 raid on the Atlanta-Chattanooga rail line and puts it in the context of a military operation. Andrews, a civilian who worked as a Union spy (and Confederate smuggler) proposed a raid to seize a locomotive in Marietta, Georgia and riding it all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee, destroying bridges and sections of track in the process. This would cripple the Confederate Army's effort to reinforce Chattanooga in the face of a planned Union advance.

The group was of soldiers from different Ohio units were selected the day before being committed to the plan, which was fortunately very simple. They were to pretend to be Kentuckians trying to join a Confederate Kentucky regiment. They would all meet at Marietta and seize the train known as the General while it was empty of passengers and crew, then take it north, pretending to make an urgent delivery of gunpowder to CSA troops about to be overrun by the latest Union advance.

Of course, the raid didn't go entirely as planned and ultimately failed. Part of the issue was putting Andrews in charge; as a civilian spy he had little military experience. A junior officer should have been in command. Another was the ad hoc nature of the group. They should have been pre-selected and screened (although the selection of troops by commanders did seem to work well) and at the very least trained to use the pistols they acquired. A better screening process might have provided individuals with specialized skills which might have made the difference between success and failure. The fascinating thing to me was not so much the tragic failure of the raid but the fact that, with so many things working against it, it came close to succeeding.

Still, a great effort and a fascinating story. Illustrated with maps, photos and orginal artwork.

Very good information about a little known event in civil war history, Well written and illustrated and complete in its'
description of the events and actions of the era.