News

Museum Searches for Locomotive Chase Descendants

KENNESAW, GA – On April 12, 1862, Union spies, under the command of James Andrews, stole the locomotive the General from what is now downtown Kennesaw, Georgia while passengers and crew ate breakfast at a nearby hotel.

The Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase had begun. Confederate Conductor William Fuller chased “Andrews’ Raiders” on foot, by handcar and by commandeering three different locomotives, finally catching them near Ringgold, Georgia.

Kennesaw’s Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, chronicles the chase through film, reproductions, exhibits, and the General itself, and is searching for the descendants of both the Union and Confederate participants in the Chase.

Curator George Deeming is leading the search. “We’re having a party for all the Chase descendants we can find. I’m sure they’ll have some really interesting stories about the Chase that you don’t learn about in the history books, and we’d like to hear them,” he said.

The Southern Museum, previously the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, has old visitor logs, which is where Deeming began his search. “I found about 20 people who signed our book who mentioned they were related to Chase participants,” he said.

Deeming has heard from nearly 300 descendants of the Union participants, but only a handful of Confederate descendants. “We’d love to hear from more of the descendants of the Chase party because their ancestors recovered the General. Without them, we wouldn’t have the General here today.”

Once found, Deeming will invite descendants to a special preview party before the Museum opens March 30. “We’ll have an authentic Southern dinner with barbecue, fried chicken, peach cobbler, and pecan pie and preview the Museum’s movie about the Chase on March 28,” he said.

If successful, Deeming hopes to hold reunions at the Museum every few years. “Families always say they love seeing everybody at weddings and funerals and wish they could see each other more often. We want to give them an opportunity to see each other in a place that holds special meaning for their families.”

If you are a descendant of one of Andrews’ Raiders or of one of the Confederate participants and are interested in the Chase reunion, please contact George Deeming at (770) 427-2117, extension 109.

In addition to the General and The Great Locomotive Chase, the Museum features two other permanent collections. Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War depicts the important role railroads played and details the war time life of soldiers and citizens with an extensive collection of photographs, personal items, weapons, musical instruments, and more. Glover Machine Works: Casting a New South illustrates life in a turn-of-the-century locomotive factory using reproductions, film, locomotives, machine patterns, and archives.

A member of the prestigious Smithsonian Affiliations program, the Museum will also feature revolving exhibits from Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service (SITES) and display Smithsonian artifacts in its exhibits. A lecture series spotlighting historians from the Smithsonian Institution is planned as well. The Museum plans to host other traveling exhibits, as well, such as Connecting with the Past: Experiences from the Johnson’s Island Prisoner of War Depot, beginning June 7, 2003.

The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, formerly the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, is currently undergoing a massive expansion. The new building, which will be ten times the size of the old facility, will have a grand opening celebration March 30, 2003.

The Southern Museum is 20 miles North of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273, Wade Green Road. Call 770-427-2117 for more information.

Great Locomotive Chase Participants

Confederates:
Jackson Bond, W&A Railroad Employee
Peter James Bracken, Texas Engineer
E. Jefferson Cain, General Engineer
Fleming A. Cox, Independent State Railroad Guard Member
William Allen Fuller, General Conductor
Henry P. Haney, Fireman on the Texas
Oliver Wiley Harbin, William R. Smith Engineer
Edward R. Henderson, W&A Railroad Telegraph Messenger
Alonzo Dannger Martin, Texas Wood Passer
Anthony Murphy, W&A Railroad Foreman
N. White Smith, Member of the Chase Party
Stephen H. Stokley, Member of the Chase Party

Andrews’ Raiders:
James J. Andrews, Civilian, Leader of the Raider Party
Private William Bensinger, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Robert Buffum, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Wilson Wright Brown, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
William Hunter Campbell, Civilian
Corporal Daniel Allen Dorsey, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Corporal Martin Jones Hawkins, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private William James Knight, 115th Ohio Volunteer Regiment
Corporal Samuel Llewllyn, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Sergeant Elihu Harlam Mason, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Jacob Parrot, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Corporal William C. Pittinger, 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private John Red Porter, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private William Henry Harrison Reddick, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Samuel Robertson, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Sergeant Major Marion A. Ross, 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Sergeant John Morehead Scott, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Phillip Gebhart Shadrach, 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Samuel Slavens, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Ovid Wellford Smith, 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private George Davenport Wilson, 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private John Alfred Wilson, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private John Wollam, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
Private Mark Wood, 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment