The Andrews Raiders at Kingston
Kingston, Bartow County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
The Andrews Raiders at Kingston. Apr. 12, 1862. James J. Andrews with 18 Ohio soldiers (Federal) in disguise, and 1 civilian, having seized the locomotive "GENERAL" at Big Shanty (KENNESAW) intending to wreck the State R.R., were forced to side-track and wait for the S. bound freights. After long delay, the "GENERAL" continued N. Pursuing from Big Shanty, Capt. W. A. Fuller (Conductor), Jeff Cain (Engineer), & Anthony Murphy ( Confederate), -- using a push-car -- reached the Etowah, where the engine "YONAH" brought them to Kingston; pursuit was resumed on the Rome R.R. locomotive "Wm. R. SMITH." 008-34 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1953
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
On April 12, 1862, a Union raiding party led by civilian scout James J. Andrews commandeered the locomotive "General" at Big Shanty in a daring bid to cripple the Western & Atlantic Railroad and sever the Confederacy's supply line to Chattanooga. Forced to lose time waiting out southbound traffic on the single-track line, the raiders pressed north—while conductor William A. Fuller and his crew gave relentless chase, first on foot and a push-car, then aboard the engines "Yonah" and "Wm. R. Smith." Kingston was a critical bottleneck in what became known as the Great Locomotive Chase.
Why it matters
The chase became one of the Civil War's most storied episodes of cunning and pursuit, and it produced the first recipients of the newly created Medal of Honor—linking a Georgia rail junction to the birth of America's highest military decoration.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · James J. Andrews
- · William A. Fuller
- · Jeff Cain
- · Anthony Murphy
Related events
- · Great Locomotive Chase
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The General
Kennesaw, GA
On April 12, 1862, a party of Union soldiers and civilians led by James J. Andrews seized this locomotive at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) and steamed north, tearing up track and cutting telegraph wires in a daring bid to cripple the Western & Atlantic Railroad linking Atlanta to Chattanooga. Confederate crewmen gave chase — first on foot, then by handcar and other engines — in what became known as the Great Locomotive Chase, running the raiders down before they could do lasting damage. The General survived the war and became one of the most celebrated relics of the conflict, later preserved and displayed as a monument to that famous railroad pursuit.
Atlanta Campaign: Cassville
Bartow County, GA
On May 19, 1864, Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston entrenched on the ridge east of this spot near Cassville, intending to give battle to Sherman's advancing armies. When Sherman threatened his flank and his corps commanders objected to the position, Johnston instead withdrew to the strong defenses at Allatoona Pass. Rather than assault it, Sherman again slipped around, moving toward New Hope Church.
Bartow County
Cartersville, GA
Carved out of Cherokee lands in 1832, this northwest Georgia county was first called Cass before the Civil War swept away its old name. In December 1861, with the Confederacy newly formed, Georgia rechristened it for Francis S. Bartow, a Savannah lawyer and politician who had marched off to Virginia at the head of his brigade. Bartow was killed that July at the First Battle of Manassas, one of the earliest prominent Confederate officers to die in the war, and his reported last words—urging his men never to give up—made him a martyr to the Southern cause.
An Unknown Hero
Bartow County, GA
In the autumn of 1864, as Sherman's armies pressed through north Georgia, Confederate troops under General Samuel G. French stormed the Union-held gap at Allatoona Pass on October 5, trying to sever the railroad that fed the Federal advance. The fighting was close and brutal, and among the fallen was a soldier whose name was never recorded. For generations afterward, Southerners made their way to this solitary hillside grave to honor him.