The Story Of The "General." 1862.

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway And The Western & Atlantic Railroad

Publication: WI Lightfoot, 1917, Nashville

First edition. 6 3/4" x 4" in cream wrappers with title, illustration of the train and a U.S. and Confederate flag embossed in gilt. 32 pp. Map. Illustrations. "On April 12, 1862, 21 men stole "The General" from Big Shanty and ran her to Ringgold, Georgia, where she slowed to a stop some two miles north of the depot. The spies hastily disembarked and fled. Unable to move to a side track under her own power, the General got an assist from her "sister" The Texas, who pushed the engine to Greysville for wood and water, then pulled her to Ringgold for repair. After the capture of Andrews' Raiders in the forests of North Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, The General hauled them back to Atlanta on May 2. As the Atlanta Campaign moved William Tecumseh Sherman's army closer and closer to Atlanta, The General had fewer miles it could travel. Finally, almost all of the W&ARR route was under Union control so the General was impressed and put on workhorse duty between Atlanta and Macon. She pulled the last train out of Atlanta on September 1, 1864. She never made her destination, halting at Rough and Ready and returning because of heavy artillery fire. By the time it returned, the evacuation of Atlanta by Hood's Army of Tennessee was nearly complete. General Hood had one last job for the locomotive. He ordered it, along with five other engines, run into the 81-car munitions train that could not be moved since all rail lines to Atlanta had been severed. Although badly damaged from the resulting explosion and fire, The General survived." This booklet gives a detailed account of the hi-jacking of "The General" as well as naming those individuals involved. Several cameos of several of the individuals involved. The booklet ends with a nice description of "The General." At center is a double-page map of the Atlanta Campaign, showing the railroad lines and pointing out the battles and various important points. Wrappers lightly soiled else very good.