Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-08-07
AMERICUs. Ca, AUG. 7. 1901.
FAMOUS OLD ENGINE, GENERAL

Inc engine '0enofals the famous
locomotive which played such an
important part in the CivN War,
has been sent to Chattanooga by the
Nashville, Chattanooga Il st. Louis
Railway and given a prominent place
in the Union Depot there where it will
remain as permanent monument to
American Yalor.
On the morning of April 70, 1869,
Capt. W. A. Fuller left Atlanta on a
passenger train of the Western & At
lantic Railroad, the train being pulled
by the engine General"
When the rain reached Marietta a
party of strangers, dressed in citizens
clothes, boarded the train and paid
their fare to different points. They
claimed to be refugees from the Yam
kee lines going to join the Confederate
army They were in reality disguised
Federal soldiers, volunteers from Sill's
Brigade, MitchePs United States Army,
and were under the command of Capt
James J. Andrews.
The passenger train stopped at Big
Shanty as usual for breakfast and most
OF the passengers and crew left the
train. The passengers had taken their
seats at the table with Capt. Fuller at
the head of the table facing a window,
through which he could see the engine
of the train. He glanced up and saw
some strangers get on the engine in an
excited manner and pull out rapidly.
He turned to his engineer, JEFF Gain,
and Anthony Murphy, the foreman OF
the Western 4 Atlantic shops, and
said:
Some one who has no right to do SC
has just gone of with our train" All
three arose and hurried out of the
house, reaching the railroad track just
in time to see the engine pass out OF
sight around q curve.
They immediately realized what the
whole matter meant and took steps to
thWart the purposes of the raiders. An
drews and his men intended to burn
all the bridges on the Western Il At
lantlc RAILROAD and thus cut off the
Confederate army from its base of sup
plies.
Gap. Fuller and his two associates
started Immediately in pursuit on foot.
They soon secured hand car and, IN
spite of the distractions placed on the
track by the raiders, made very rapid
progress.
At Etowah they found the engine
''Yonah'' ard the pursuit thereafter on
shat engine was at such a rapid rate
that serious damage to the railroad by
the raiders was impossible.
The General was abandoned by
the raiders at point about half way
between RinggoId and Graysville, en-
account of the lack of fuel and the
close pursuit of Fuller and his party.
When the raiders left the engine Capt.
Andrews instructed every man to take
care of himself and left in squads
Four of them were run down in the
fork of Chickamauga River at Grays-
vile, and one was forcibly persuaded
to tell who the raiding party was and
what was their exact purpose. Others
were caught at other points Later
there was trial by Confederate mill
tary court and eight of the raiders were
executed IN Atlanta as spies, six were
exchanged and eight escaped from
Llbbyprison.
The survivors of the Andrews raiders
have erected a monument to their
fallen comrades and it stands to-day in
the National Cemetery at Chattanooga.
The Nashville, Chattanooga & St.Louis
Railway has erected two tablets, one
marking the spot at which the "Gen-
eral' was abandoned.
A third tablet, explaining the raid
and giving all names and data, has
been erected in front of the engine IN
Chattanooga.