President Joe Biden is honoring two Civil War privates, whose remains lie in Chattanooga’s National Cemetery, with the Medal of Honor on Wednesday for conspicuous “gallantry and intrepidity” for their role in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.

Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson were part of Andrews’ Raiders, a 24-man group of U.S. soldiers and two volunteers who embarked on a bold mission to seize a train from what is now Kennesaw, Ga., and head north to Chattanooga while destroying Confederate rail tracks and slash telegram lines.

The mission led by James Andrews, a Kentucky-born civilian spy and scout, is considered one of the earliest special operations in U.S. Army history. It ultimately failed as the raiders spent much of their time fleeing and seeking fuel to keep the train going as it moved north toward Chattanooga. They were captured near Ringgold, Ga.. Eight — including Shadrach and Wilson — were executed, while others either escaped or were held as prisoners of war for almost a year.

Six of the Union participants in the raid became the Army’s first recipients of the newly created Medal of Honor. Another 13 later received the medal. It isn’t known why Wilson, of Belmont Count, Ohio, and Shadrach, a Pennsylvania native, were not originally recommended for the Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor is bestowed on Armed Forces members who distinguish themselves by risking their lives beyond the call of duty while:

1. Engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
2. Engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
3. Serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

Biden, a Democrat, has said the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump has been the greatest threat to American democracy since the Civil War.

The General seized again

In 1891, The General, which was then under the control of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, was moved to Chattanooga and placed on display for a Union Civil War Veterans’ reunion. Survivors of Andrews’ Raid attended, as did the conductor who led the chase to catch them, according to the Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and Museum.

It remained in Chattanooga until 1961 when it was refurbished and put on a tour that ended in 1967. The plan was to move the locomotive to Kennesaw, Ga., formerly called Big Shanty, where Andrews’ Raiders had originally seized the train.

But emotions in Chattanooga ran high about losing the train, some saying it helped inspire Glenn Miller’s classic tune “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” The locomotive first had to pass through Chattanooga to reach Kennesaw. Acting on a tip from an Ohio reporter, Chattanooga Mayor Ralph Kelley moved to block its transfer. Armed with a ruling by City Chancellor Ray Brock, the mayor, county sheriff and 20 men blocked the train carrying The General just west of Chattanooga, according to the Heritage Center. 

Then-U.S. District Judge Frank Wilson ruled that the engine belonged to the L&N railroad. Kelley and Chattanooga officials appealed and lost in a federal appeals court. The case ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which dismissed the matter. The train remains in Kennesaw today.

Andy Sher is a Senior Statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Tennessee. Reach him at [email protected] or on X at @AndySher1.