The General
Kennesaw, Cobb County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
This is the original locomotive made famous by its participation in the Andrews Raid of April 12, 1862. It was stolen by the Northern raiders who tried unsuccessfully to wreck the Confederate supply line between Atlanta, Ga., and Chattanooga, Tenn., ...… transcription continues on the marker
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The Story
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.
Why it matters
The chase dramatized how vital the railroads were to the Civil War, when control of a single supply line could shape a campaign, and it produced some of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
By the spring of 1862, the Civil War had settled into a grinding contest in which railroads had become as vital as any army. In the mountainous country between Atlanta and Chattanooga, a single rail line — the Western & Atlantic — carried the men and supplies that kept the Confederate war effort moving through the region. Cut that line, and you could cripple a campaign.
This was still a relatively young age of railroading, when a locomotive was a marvel of speed and power, and a rail line was the fastest thing moving across the landscape. Control of the track meant control of the tempo of war.
Into this setting came a bold Union plan: not to fight for the railroad, but to steal a piece of it and wreck it from the inside. The place chosen for the theft was a stop then called Big Shanty — the town known today as Kennesaw, Georgia — where this very locomotive stood on the rails.
People & events
On April 12, 1862, a party of Union soldiers and civilians led by James J. Andrews seized this locomotive at Big Shanty and steamed north. Their aim was to run up the line toward Chattanooga, tearing up track and cutting telegraph wires behind them, unraveling the Confederate supply route as they went.
But the theft did not go unanswered. Confederate crewmen took off after the stolen engine — first on foot, then by handcar, and finally aboard other locomotives — in a headlong pursuit that became famous as the Great Locomotive Chase. The chase turned the quiet rail line into a running drama of speed and improvisation, pursuers closing the gap while the raiders scrambled to do damage without being caught.
In the end the raiders were run down before they could inflict lasting harm on the line. The locomotive itself survived the war and went on to a second life as one of the most celebrated relics of the entire conflict, preserved and displayed as a monument to that extraordinary railroad pursuit — the machine at the very center of the story it helped create.
Its place in the American story
The chase captured something about the Civil War that pitched battles alone could not. It showed, in vivid and almost cinematic form, how completely the fate of a campaign could ride on a single stretch of iron rail. In this war, logistics and mobility were weapons, and a railroad could be as decisive as a regiment.
The raid also holds a place in the history of American valor. It is remembered as producing some of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military bravery — tying this daring episode to the very origins of that decoration.
And because the story is so dramatic — a stolen train, a desperate pursuit, wits and steam against the clock — it became one of the enduring legends of the war, retold for generations. The surviving locomotive gives that legend a physical anchor, a real machine you can stand before rather than merely a tale in a book.
If you visit
The great reward here is that the star of the story still exists. This is the original locomotive itself — not a replica, not a model, but the actual engine at the heart of the Andrews Raid. Take your time with it, and notice the sheer scale and heft of a machine that could outrun men on foot and haul the fate of a supply line behind it.
Standing in Kennesaw, the town that was Big Shanty, you're at the very spot where the raiders made their move. Let the setting collapse the distance between then and now: the same rails, the same landscape running north toward the mountains the chase climbed into.
It's a natural centerpiece for a day exploring the region's Civil War history, and a story that travels well with families — the drama of a stolen train needs no footnotes to grip a child. Read the marker, look up at the engine, and picture it under a full head of steam, racing north with pursuit hard behind.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Attractions
- Sweet Eloise9.5 mi away
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Related people
- · James J. Andrews
Related events
- · Andrews Raid
- · Great Locomotive Chase
Themes & tags
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