The National tribune., 1907-01-03
RAILROADING UNDER Diff
CULTIES.
Opening of the Railroad From Kingston
to Chattanooga.


Editor National Tribune: There Is
one incident I have failed to see in The
National Tribune, and that Is the OPEN
to Chattanooga, Tenn. by three train-
men and six soldiers. The train crew
consisted Of the engineer, the fireman
and one brakeman. besides the six
guards before mentioned. ! consider ii
a very daring deed when all the cir
cumstances are considered, the danger
from friends coming in an opposite di-
rection having the same purpose in
view as ourselves, the crookedness of
the roads, and the mountainous coun-
try swarming with rebels, etc. And now
for my story
Some time about the 10th or 18th of
June, 1864, call was made at the con-
valescen. camp at Chattanooga for a
Lieutenant and So men to escort 26 car
loads of ammunition from Chattanooga
to Big Shanty. Ga. Having been IN
camp at that place, and desiring to go
to my command. volunteered as one
of the guard In due time we left for
the front in two sections, one engineer
and 13 cars in each section or train,
two guards to each car. We got along
all right until we were some three
miles from Dalton, when the engineer
discovered a missing rail, so he s.opt
train to replace the one missing. the
rear train doing the same thing. When
some three miles the other side of Dali
ton the spikes were pulled from a rail
on curve which the engineer did not
see in time to prevent running off the
track. The rear train coupled on to
the front train and tried to run bosh
trains back to Dalton. but the grade
was too steep, and &c loaded cars were
too heavy for our engine, being a wood
burner engine of that date. so they
uncoupled and backed into Dalton. BY
that time it was dusk, and the balance
of us (most of the boys had played
hooky" and gone back with the rear
train) mounted the tender anL went
back after the other IS cars, leaving
IL men and Sergeant 20 guard the
engine
The guerrillas attacked them, but the
Sergeant and his IL men charged and
drove them off. Finally the engine was
gotten on the track again, the track
cleared and repaired, and we pulled
out that evening for Big Shanty, arriv-
ing in due course of time without fur
ther incident While six of the boys
and myself We're trying to find out
where we would find our commands,
the engineer came up, and wanted to
know If We were no. going back to
Chattanooga with him as guards for
his train We told him that had not
been our intention, as We were anxious
to join our commands He said he had
no guard, and asked us II we thought
1t was right to le. him return without
guard. We did not think it exactly
fair. so the six of us decided to go back
with him and return to Big Shanty on
the next train, as he certainly needed
us. and 1t was all in Uncle Sans SER
vice, anyway. So we started back with
him, distributing ourselves in such a
way as to make our force appear as
large as possible in the empty cars of
his train. All went well until we
reached Kingston, and there We found
the switches crowded with cars and no
one willing to lead the way out. The
country was full of guerrillas, and the
telegraph communications cut. The en-
gineer came to us and we held coun-
sci, arriving at the conclusion tha'
some one had to open up the way, and
that we were no better than any one
else. We told Mr.. Engineer to pull his
throttle, and out we went, riding faster
than 1 ever did on any freight train.
The telegraph poles seemed but foot
apart, and We went around the curves
at a breakneck speed. At every sta
lion the switches were full Of cars,
some for the front and some for the
rear. Presently we came to station
near Dalton, where the jam was SO
great that we could not get our train
thru. Our engineer f.ried his very best
to get those in front of US to pull out
by making fun of them, calling them