Life
- Died
- March 9, 1918
Career
- Engineer — Western & Atlantic Railroad
Circa 1856–Unknown
Biography
M. P. “Pink” McCrary (c. 1820–March 9, 1918) was a veteran locomotive engineer who spent more than forty years in the service of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Evidence suggests McCrary, a native of North Carolina, joined the Western and Atlantic Railroad circa 1856.
According to contemporary accounts, he was among the oldest engineers in the South at the time of his death at age 97 in 1918. McCrary operated some of the railroad’s most famous locomotives, including the General and the Texas, during and after the Civil War. Following the Battle of Atlanta in 1864, McCrary reportedly operated the last train carrying Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown south toward Macon as Confederate authorities evacuated the city.
His career spanned the formative years of railroading in Georgia and the turbulent Civil War era. McCrary’s obituary also recounted that he was briefly held captive by Cherokee Indians as a child before being reunited with his family. He died on March 9, 1918, near Marietta, Georgia.