The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-02-20
ANDREWS RAID.

ANDhE WS NALL.
= THRILLING NARRATIVE OF THE WAR
In March of 1862 the confederate
acmy OF The West vas concentrated q
Corinth, Miss, under Beauregard. This
army received it's supplies from the ricf
Georgia and Carolina fields, and its re
endorsements from extensive drill camps
i'll these States. These troops and sup
plies were forwarded over a single line
Of railroad-the Western and Atlantic
running from Atlanta, Ga, to Chatta'
nooga, Tenn, which had been, not in
APPLY called "the backbone of the con
fcderacy." The movements, present
and prospective, of the federal armies
rendered it very important that Beaure'
gard should be cut off from the camps
&nd granaries in his rear. But as this
railroad that was his channel of com
munication ran through the very hear
OF the confederate country, and was
guarded by numberless soldiers on al
sides, it was felt to be impossible tc
isolate the willy commander.
Just at this time a MAJ named j. ].
Andrews, a Kentuckian, and thoroughly
devoted to the Union cause, sought an
interview with Gen. Mitchell and offered
with a detail of twenty men to penetrate
the enemy's country in disguise, capture
IN engine and burn the bridges of the
Western and Atlantic road. The project
was consideredimpossible; but Andrews
persisted that he could accomplish it,
and at length he Yves empowered to make
the attempt. It was agreed that if he
succeeded he was to be paid $50, 600.
He selected rs his lieutenant, VIM. Camp
bell, a Kentuckian, and was furnished
with a detail of twenty men from the
Second, Twenty-frst and Thirty-third
Ohio regiments. Only n man was
taken from each company.
On the 9Th of April, at four o'clock,
the men, in the disguise of citizens,
left their camps to rendezvous at
Shelbyville, the federal camp being at
Murfreesboro. At about midnight the
twenty-five determined men met in the
woods beyond Shelbyville, and the
daring plot was for the first time IN
folded to the detailed soldiers. The
council over, the raiders scattered into
squads of two or three and started for
Chattanooga, the northern terminus OF
The Western and Atlantic road. To
reach this they were compelled to march
through 1873 miles of the enemy's
country, with soldiers standing guard
over every road. After exciting adven'
lures, the whole party reached Chatta-
nooga, and, in company with hundreds
of confederates who were hurrying to
the front to join Beauregard, boarded
the train. They had arranged to ride
10 Marietta. rest there during the night,
and start back toward Chattanooga the
next day and bum the bridges as they
came. They reached Marietta, went te
the hotel, registered and turned in for
nights rest. They were in the very
heart of the enemy's country, with nc
possible succor within two hundred
miles, and we're determined on the mex
day to burn the bridges and destroy the
rails of a road that was the vital artery
Of the confederacy, and that was liter
;:lly llQeu WIFI SOlu1eTS.
At four o'clock in the morning tn
men were awakened and hurried on tn,
train. Their general scheme involved
tie seizure of the train by some means
or other. The train once captured, the,
were to be pushed ahead, burn tn,
bridges, and destroy the track. TIL
details of this plan were not arranged
Whether the train should be captured
by a trick, or by a direct assault upol
the forces commanding it, was not de
termined upon. The whole affair wa
intrusted to Andrews. His men wer
70 watch him closely, and obey hi
slightest sign.
The train pulled slowly out of Mari
eta, and after an hour or so reached
Big Shanty, where it stopped for break
last. Big Shanty was a drill camp, AM
about 10000 soldiers were stationed
there. The engineer, conductor, m,
passengers were in the hotel at break
fast. The yankees" had gone il
with the rest, and were quietly eating
their breakfast. Suddenly Andrews ap
peared at the door of the eating hall an
said, in a leisurely way:
"Well, boys, if you are done, let u
80 and get our seats" Immediately hi
tventy-one men arose and started out Q
tho hall. Their hearts were boundin
wildly within their breasts, and thei
faces must have paled with resolution
Cor they knew that the hour OF thei
trial had come. And yet they wake
"oolly and TRANQUILITY out of that room
conscious that they must move 50 lels
urcly as to avoid suspicion. When the
reached the door they found Andrew
awaiting them. AS they came out b
gave each man a hurried whispere
word of instruction. Then taking thre
men with him, he walked slowly an
apparently aimlessly in the direction {
me unguarded engine. In the NEAR
time one of his band had slipped in b.
tween the baggage and passenger ca,
and uncoupled them, leaving only thre
cars attached to the engine. The othe
members of the band stood by the ope
doors of the baggage care, ready to lea
into them at a moments notice. Se'
cral thousand confederate soldiers wei
standing around in sight, many OF thel
almost touching the cars. AS soon {
andrews and his three companion
raached the engine, they leaped brisk!
upon it, he having first given q subtI
signal with his hand that whisked tt
other raiders into the baggage car as
by magic. Then the throttle of ii
engine vas opened, her lever was pulle
sack to its utmost stretch ; the gree
IRON monster thrilled for a momen
4rembled u~neasily, then 1attened to II
track, and'went flying away towards IL
vest. Not until the engine was fair:
rrt of sight did the crowd begin
snderstand what had been done. Whe
tle truth was realized the most frant
aproar arose; the mass of soldiers, cit
zane and train hands hnddlsd moon IL