The Raiders
Civilians
Union spy James J. Andrews persuaded Maj. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel to authorize a raid to steal a locomotive and destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad. In March 1862, Andrews, born circa 1829 in Holiday’s Cove, Virginia, (today Weirton, West Virginia), led a small group of spies to Atlanta, where they were to rendezvous with an engineer who previously agreed to steal a locomotive. The scheme failed because the engineer did not show for the raid. He returned in April 1862. However, this time, he tapped two dozen men for the mission, including several engineers. The group was delayed by bad weather, and the raid took place on a rainy Saturday, April 12, 1862.
William Hunter Campbell worked for the Union Army during the early years of the Civil War. Campbell, born in Fox Township, Ohio, was one of two civilians who participated in the Great Locomotive Chase. He was visiting friends in 2nd Ohio Infantry in Kentucky when he was recruited to participate in the operation.
2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Cpl. William Pittenger
Sgt. Maj. Marion A. Ross
Pvt. Phillip G. Shadrach
Pvt. James Smith
Pvt. George D. Wilson
21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Pvt. William Bensinger
Pvt. Wilson W. Brown
Pvt. Robert Buffam
Pvt. William J. Knight
Sgt. Elihu H. Mason
Pvt. John Reed Porter
Sgt. John M. Scott
Pvt. John A. Wilson
Pvt. Mark Wood
33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Cpl. Daniel Allen Dorsey
Cpl. Martin Jones Hawkins
Cpl. Samuel Llewellyn
Pvt. Jacob Parrott
Cpl. William H. Reddick
Pvt. Samuel Robertson
Pvt. Samuel Slavens
Pvt. John Wollam
The Pursuers
The Original Pursuers
William A. Fuller, born in 1836 in Morrow Station, south of Atlanta, was the conductor on the northbound passenger train that morning. Much to the humor of those in Big Shanty, Fuller led a pursuing party, first on foot, then on a “pole” car and finally by commandeering a number of locomotives. His dogged pursuit of the “engine thieves,” as the Southern press called the Raiders, helped save the railroad from total destruction.
Anthony Murphy, a native of Ireland, was the Western & Atlantic’s repair shop foreman in 1862. He joined William Fuller in pursuing the General during the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase.
Jeff Cain was the engineer of the General on the morning of the Andrews Raid. He participated in the pursuit from Big Shanty to just after Kingston.
Other Participants and Involved Parties
| Andrew J. Anderson | Fireman on the General, but he apparently did not participate in the chase |
| Absalom Adams | Fireman on the Catoosa |
| Jesse Brewer | Working with Jackson Bond replacing a switch at Moon’s Station |
| Edward Henderson | The 17-year-old telegraph operator from Dalton went to Calhoun after he discovered the telegraph line was down; in Calhoun, he boarded the Texas, and Fuller gave him a telegraph message to dispatch from Dalton |
| William Hinton | Working with Jackson Bond replacing a switch at Moon’s Station |
| Lem Kendrick | Anthony Murphy sent Kendick to Marietta on horse to wire news of the engine theft |
| George Rainey and/or George Martin | Joined the chase at Acworth |
| Joe Renard | Engineer on the Catoosa |
| White Smith | Rode ahead on horseback to check a small bridge along the road between Allatoona and Acworth |
| Uriah Stephens | Station agent at Kingston |
| Steven Stokely | Joined the chase at Acworth |
| Frank Watts | Conductor of the Catoosa |
| James White | Working with Jackson Bond replacing a switch at Moon’s Station |
| Capt. William J. Whitsett | Joined the chase in Calhoun aboard the Catoosa |
William R. Smith
| Oliver Wiley Harbin | Engineer of the William R. Smith locomotive, which joined the chase at Kingston |
| Cicero Smith | Conductor on the train pulled by the William R. Smith |
| William Kernodle (sometimes spelled Kirknodle) | Stoker (according to Gordon L. Rottman’s The Great Locomotive Chase: The Andrews Raid 1862) |
| Joe Lassiter | Brakeman (according to Gordon L. Rottman’s The Great Locomotive Chase: The Andrews Raid 1862) |
The Texas
| Peter Bracken | Engineer of The Texas |
| Henry Haney | Fireman of The Texas |
| Alonzo Martin | Wood passer on The Texas |
| Fleming Cox | A second fireman on The Texas |
The Andrews Raid