HISTORY:
** In April 1862, the stage was set for one of the greatest locomotive chases in history. Union forces planned to steal a train and travel at high speed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, disabling the line as they went, in order to cut off vital rail supplies to the Confederate stronghold of Atlanta, Georgia, some 100-plus miles to the southwest. What they hadn't banked on was the dogged determination of one man – train conductor William Fuller – who, after realizing his train had been stolen, began a frantic pursuit, first by handcar, then by top-speed locomotive, dealing with derailments by running miles on foot to the next station, and single-handedly removing drag ties from the track in front of his train. The raiders were so hotly pursued that they had no time to inflict serious damage on the tracks and could not stop to gather more fuel. Just north of Ringgold, some miles south of Chattanooga, The General ran out of wood and the raiders scattered into the forested Appalachian Mountains. All were captured within days and sentenced to death. Discover the history of one of the most colourful and dramatic episodes of the Civil War. **
** Quoted from the Osprey Publishing website.
THE BOOK:
Osprey Publications has released The Great Locomotive Chase, The Andrews Raid 1862 as Number 5 in their Raid series. It is a soft cover book with 48 pages and is the standard Osprey Publishing size of 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Included with the text are black and white and color photographs, full color illustrations, 3-dimensional ‘bird’s-eye-views’, detailed captions and more. It has a 2009 copyright, a publication date of November 10, 2009, and the ISBN is 978-1-8460-3400-8.
THE CONTENTS:
Introduction
Origins
Initial Strategy
The Plan
The Raid
- Cross-country into Dixie
- The train-stealers
- “Someone is running off with your train!”
- Kingston–Rome Junction
- The great chase
- The end of the line
The Raiders’ Fate
Analysis
Conclusion
Further Reading
THE TEXT:
Author Gordon L. Rottman has written an excellent history about the Union Army’s mission, known as the Andrews Raid, to steal a train engine, which ended up being the General, from the Confederate Army during the American Civil War in 1862. The text goes into very specific detail in all areas of the book as outlined on the contents page, please refer to the contents listing that I have provided for the subjects that are covered throughout the book. The author details and discusses every aspect of the mission from the planning that went into the raid, what the goal of the raid was to be, how the raiders’ prepared for the mission, the events before, during and after the theft of the General, what went according to plan, what didn’t go according to plan and what shortcomings and enemy actions affected the overall outcome of the mission. The author details preparation for the mission and gives information such as how the raiders obtained civilian clothing prior to the mission as they were not going to be wearing their uniforms. Once the raiders departed on the mission, information is provided such as what delayed their travel to the rendezvous location and why as well as how they traveled and what they did once they arrived at their predetermined destinations and what their cover stories were if they were asked who they were and what they were doing. The author describes the weather conditions during the raiders’ travel to their destination and prior to stealing the train and detailed descriptions of the terrain, rivers, streams and types of trees and plants along the route. The narrative discusses the actions of both the Union and Confederate sides the day of the theft from prior to the theft, the actions during the theft, what the raiders did to try and delay their pursuers, how the raiders tried to keep the General running during the chase and also, the actions during the initial escape when the raiders had to abandon the General and flee on foot. Details are provided on how the raiders were caught and what took place with them after their capture as well as the actions of those that were able to escape. The author provides details of several main railroad lines and spurs and the distance they covered as well as various railroads specified by name and how many trains and locomotives they had. Also detailed are the fates of the General and the Texas and the stories of each from the end of the war to their current locations today. If the reader is in the area of the chase and would like to visit the various sites, the author discusses the places today that the enthusiast can visit and see various points of interest from the historical event. The author does an excellent job of providing researched facts which helps to eliminate incorrect information that has been given over time due to misconceptions created by such things as period illustrations that were done by artists who had taken creative liberties about the events that took place during the theft of the General. Along with his own words, Gordon L. Rottman has also provided quotes from various individuals that were directly involved with the mission to steal the General. Some of the individuals quoted are Union raiders James Andrews, Corporal William C. Pittenger, Corporal Daniel A. Dorsey and Private William J. Knight. Also quoted are Confederate conductor James Fuller and Confederate fireman Andrew “Andy” Anderson. James Fuller was the conductor of the General and led the chase to recapture the train from the raiders. The text in the book is nicely written and well detailed. As I read through the text, I didn’t notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Grammar and spelling might not be an important factor to everyone however it is something that I take notice of and pass on my findings. As a reader that knew nothing about the Union Army’s secret mission into the south to steal a train and disrupt the Confederate railroad usage, I found myself to be well informed on the subject upon finishing the book. Anyone wanting to add an excellent reference and history book on the Union Army’s mission to steal a train engine, the General, from the Confederate Army during the American Civil War to their personal library will be pleased with this very informative and interesting book.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
A total of 26 black and white photographs and 11 color photographs are included in this volume. Several of the photographs are period photographs, or photographs of drawings and sketches from the period. The photographs range from wide angle photographs to close-up detailed photographs. Some of the photographs are profile studio portraits of civilians and uniformed individuals. Many of the black and white photographs are of period drawings and illustrations showing individuals that were involved with the theft, key locations such as the scene of the theft, actions taken by the raiders to try and slow down their pursuers and keep ahead of them and what took place after the theft of the train and at the end of the chase such as the prison facility where the raiders were kept after their capture. Most of the color photographs are current images of places of interest along the route of the train chase. The majority of the photographs are clear and easily viewable; however, a few have an out-of-focus appearance, and some appear to be too dark, and others appear too light. This is typical for the discussed period of history, and the quality of a few of the photographs is no fault of the author and does not take anything away from the book. Author Gordon L. Rottman stuck to the title of the book and chose subject specific photographs and did not include photographs that strayed from the main subject. The majority, if not all, of the photographs will prove to be excellent reference material due to the details they contain. The railroad historian and enthusiast, the military historian, and the military uniform enthusiast will benefit from the excellent photographs as will anyone that is interested in The Andrews Raid of 1862 during the American Civil War.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS:
There are 3 illustrations included in the volume by illustrators Mariusz Kozik and Brian Delf.
The illustrations are very well done, nicely detailed and are of:
Plate A
The General
- A one-page full color illustration of the General shown from the right side along with its tender.
Plate B
The Texas
- A one-page full color illustration of the Texas shown from the left side along with its tender.
Plate C
Abandoning the General
- A two-page full color illustration showing the raiders abandoning the General near Ringgold, Georgia with the Texas and their pursuers closing on them in the distance.
THE CAPTIONS:
The captions are well written and explain the accompanying photographs and illustrations in great detail, eliminating any doubt as to what is shown. The captions go into very specific detail as to the specific individuals shown and their military rank, the names of the specific train engines shown, what buildings and bridges are shown, dates and locations and other such pertinent information. Gordon L. Rottman’s captions are very helpful to the reader due to their detailed content as opposed to other captions that I have seen that are very brief and lacking in detail.
THE MAPS:
There is one full-colored map by Bounford.com included in this volume. The map comes with a detailed key as well as a map/cartographic distance scale. The map is of:
- The routes of seven different railroads in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. The map also shows Confederate forces locations and Union forces routes of movement.
THE 3D BIRDS-EYE-VIEWS:
There are two 3-dimensional ‘bird’s-eye-views’ by Paul Kime included in this volume. Both of the ‘bird’s-eye-views’ have two separate columns detailing in chronological order the actions of the Union raiders and the Confederate pursuers. The ‘bird’s-eye-views’ are of:
- The Chase Begins: 5.00am to 10.00am, April 12, 1862
- The Chase Ends: 10.00am to 1:30pm, April 12, 1862
INFORMATION CHART:
There is 1 information chart included in this volume that provides details of:
- A complete listing of the names of the Andrews’ raiders, the military unit they were assigned to prior to becoming a raider as well as their date of birth and their date of death. The list also provides information for each individual after their capture letting the reader know if the individual had escaped captivity, if they were executed, if they were part of an exchange of prisoners between the Union and Confederate forces or if they were impressed into Confederate service and later deserted.
CONCLUSION:
As with the other Osprey Publishing titles I was impressed with this book. This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, many subject specific photographs and illustrations, well detailed captions and more, all detailing the Andrews Raid of 1862 during the American Civil War. As with the other Osprey Publishing titles, I have no hesitation recommending this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal reference library.
Osprey Publishing also offers The Great Locomotive Chase, The Andrews Raid 1862 as:
Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ISBN: 978-1-4728-0466-0
and
Ebook (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-4728-0319-9
Osprey Publishing’s, The Great Locomotive Chase, The Andrews Raid 1862 is also available as a Kindle version through Amazon.
PRICE:
UK £15.99 / US $21.00 / CAN $30.00
This book was provided to me by Osprey Publishing. Please mention that you saw the book reviewed here on the KitMaker Network when making your purchase. Thank you.