Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor - Softcover

Bonds, Russell S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1594160783 ISBN 13: 9781594160783

Publisher: Westholme Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

Selected by Civil War Interactive as One of the Top Civil War Books of All Time

"The definitive book about the Great Locomotive Chase."—Charlotte Observer

"Magnificent and definitive."—Wall Street Journal

"The Great Locomotive Chase has been the stuff of legend and the darling of Hollywood. Now we have a solid history of the Andrews Raid. Russell S. Bonds' stirring account makes clear why the raid failed and what happened to the raiders."—James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"In this gripping, smooth-running account, Bonds zooms effortlessly from broad-stroke overviews of Civil War strategy to minute-by-minute scrutiny of unfolding events on the ground. He sets up the story with a quick, punchy outline of the first year of the war. What follows is a fast-paced, extremely well-told tale of espionage, capture, trial and escape."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Phenomenally well written, organized, and presented."—Civil War Books and Authors

On April 12, 1862—one year to the day after Confederate guns opened on Fort Sumter and started the Civil War—a tall, mysterious smuggler and self-appointed Union spy named James J. Andrews and nineteen infantry volunteers infiltrated north Georgia and stole a steam engine called the General. Racing northward at speeds approaching sixty miles an hour, cutting telegraph lines and destroying track along the way, Andrews planned to open East Tennessee to the Union army, cutting off men and matériel from the Confederate forces in Virginia. If they succeeded, Andrews and his raiders could change the course of the war. But the General's young conductor, William A. Fuller, chased the stolen train first on foot, then by handcar, and finally aboard another engine, the Texas. He pursued the General until, running out of wood and water, Andrews and his men abandoned the doomed locomotive, ending the adventure that would soon be famous as The Great Locomotive Chase. But the ordeal of the soldiers involved was just beginning. In the days that followed, the "engine thieves" were hunted down and captured. Eight were tried and executed as spies, including Andrews. Eight others made a daring escape to freedom, including two assisted by a network of slaves and Union sympathizers. For their actions, before a personal audience with President Abraham Lincoln, six of the raiders became the first men in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation's highest decoration for gallantry.

Americans north and south, both at the time and ever since, have been astounded and fascinated by this daring raid. But until now, there has not been a complete history of the entire episode and the fates of all those involved. Based on eyewitness accounts, as well as correspondence, diaries, military records, newspaper reports, deposition testimony and other primary sources, Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor by Russell S. Bonds is a blend of meticulous research and compelling narrative that is now considered to be the definitive history of "the boldest adventure of the war."

About this title

Review:

"Magnificent and definitive." - Wall Street Journal"

Synopsis:

A thoroughly entertaining history of one of the most daring raids of the American Civil War. On April 12th 1862, during the American Civil War, a group of Union volunteers infiltrated the Confederate stronghold of Georgia and stole a steam engine named 'General'. Once in control of the locomotive, they raced back towards friendly territory - destroying Confederate supply routes as they went and opening up the south to Union forces. If James J. Andrews' plan had worked, it could have dramatically altered the course of the war, but the General's young conductor had other ideas. At first he gave chase to the stolen locomotive on foot, then on a handcar, and finally on board another train until he forced the Unionists to abandon their plan as they ran out of fuel. Out of the original group of twenty volunteers, six of the survivors were awarded the very first American Medal of Honor by Abraham Lincoln."Stealing the General" is the first and most complete account of this momentous episode in American history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Westholme Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1594160783
• ISBN 13: 9781594160783
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464