The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-09-15

husky bdu Lake Ire
things uncomfortably warm for lake shipping. The
commander, therefore, carefully laid his plans
and got his men ready for the pirates" He had
the fort at his back to help him in the event
matters threatened to get out of hand.
Beall and his men had scuttled the Island
Queen and taken their prisoners aboard the
Philo Parsons preparatory to attacking the Mich
igan When the commander of the latter vessel
sighted the enemy he set out in chase and the
Philo Parsons turned about and fed. THE Mich
igan" as Ross explained years later. had twelve
guns. We had only our pistols" So 1t is evil
dent that the Confederates took the only wise
course in heading for safety.
Despite the Michigan's superior speed, the
Philo Parsons gained the shelter of the Detroit
river There the prisoners were landed Many
of the pirates" also went ashore and disap-
peared. Then Beall and Ross, with only hand
full of men left, steered the Philo Parsons out
into deep water and scuttled her.
After that it was every man for himself. Most
of them escaped. but Captain Beall was cap
tured, tried by court martial. found guilty Of
PIRACY" and was hanged Governors island,
N Y, on February "a, 1865.
Ross went to Hamilton, Ont, where he was
given refuge by family whose relatives were
in the Confederate armies. In spite of the pla-
wards for his capture, Ross got to Halifax and
was even bold enough to have his picture taken
while there. A blockade runner took him 10
Wilmington, N. C. The Confederate authorities
recognized his services by making him a captain
In the secret service.
He was however, impatient to get back into
the fray, and rejoined his old company in time
to participate in the battles around Richmond
He remained on duty until Lee surrendered at
nd lin WON cd Y
fore the cessation of hostilities.
Grant in his second administration, issued
special pardon relieving Captain Ross Of the
charges of piracy. For more than 40 years he
lived at Grand Haven in the state which he and
his fellow pirates" had once thrown into an
uproar and he finally moved to Minneapolis,
Mimi. where he died in 1927 at the age OF
eighty-three.
Thousands of visitors to Century of Prog
ress in Chicago this year have seen relic OF
another famous Civil war raid-the locomotive
1.-THE General" which stands across from the
Travel and Transport building This was the
engine used by the Andrews Raiders named
for their leader James ]. Andrews, who like
Gen. John H. Morgan. was Kentuckian. Only
in this case Kentuckian was leading Union
raid through Confederate territory and instead
of being mounted on the kind of thoroughbred
horses for which Kentucky is famous, as Nor
1t was on the morning of April u, 1862, that
the train drawn by 1.-The General" en- route from
Atlanta, Ca, to Chattanooga, Tenn. stopped at
Marietta, Ga. Here considerable party of stran-
gers dressed in civilian clothes and claiming 10
be refugees from within the Yankee lines who
were DESTROYS of joining the Confederate forces,
boarded the train and paid their fares. Capt
w. A. Fuller, who was in charge OF the tram,
did not have the slightest inkling that these
MI WhO we MAN.
ming to capture his train and use it to paralyze
traffic on the Western and Atlantic railroad, one
of the vital arteries of transport for the Con-
federacy, by burning the 10 bridges which lay
between Chattanooga and Big Shanty.
Their opportunity came when the train stopped
at Big Shanty for breakfast. While they were
thus occupied the strangers, whose leader was
James ]. Andrews, citizen of Flemingsburg,
XIV, who had volunteered to perform rhis dan
gerous task cut away all but three cars in the
train, climbed into the engine cab and steamed
away.
Captain Fuller believed that those who had
taken his train were deserters from Camp Nc
Donald recruit camp at Big Shanty. At
once he dashed to the telegraph office TO send
warning to stations farther up the line, only
to discover that the telegraph wires had been
cut Accompanied by two three others, he
ran to Moons Station, two miles away, and OBJ
tanned handcar which they set out in pur-
suit of the raiders.
Then followed the race which has become
classic in American history-Andrews and his
party leading the way with "The General" set
ting fire to bridges tearing up the tracks in
places and putting distractions on it in others,
and behind them Fuller and his men, first on
the hand car then the engine "Y0nah" and
finally 1.-The Texas" racing after them and
gaining on them until at last the fugitiyes in
desperate effort to shake off their pursuers
set fire to the last freight car and cut IT loose
on a bridge. But before the bridge could catch
fire. Fuller had up to the car, coupled on
and pulled it away.
BY this time the fugitives had deserted the
engine and escaped into the woods. But mounted
militia were hot their trail and within
a short time all of the Andrews party, % in
number, were captured. They were taken back
to Atlanta and tried before military court
Eight. among them Andrews the leader, were
found guilty and executed as spies. six were pa
rolled and eight later escaped from prison at
Atlanta. On March Is, 1863. medals of honor
were presented by Secretary Of War Stanton TO
the six who were paroled and later the eight
who escaped from prison were also given med
ais. OF those who had been executed medals
were delivered to the mothers Of one Of them
and to the widows of two Others
90 by Western Newspaper Union,