Western and Atlantic Railroad
The Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A) was a railroad that ran from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded on May 9 of 1850, the line is still owned by the State of Georgia from Atlanta to CT Tower in Chattanooga.
This line is famous because of the Great Locomotive Chase, which took place on the W&A during the American Civil War in April of 1862.
Table of contents |
Leasing
Through 1870, it was called the State Road, and was operated directly by the state under a superintendent appointed by and reporting to the governor of Georgia. On December 27 of that year, operations were transferred to the Western & Atlantic Railroad Company, a group of 23 investors including Georgia's wartime governor Joseph E. Brown, who leased it (both tracks and rolling stock) from the state for $25,000 per month. This expired exactly 20 years later on the same date in 1890, when the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis (NC&StL) leased it for 29 years. After that became part of the Louisville & Nashville, it in turn is now under CSX Transportation as the Western & Atlantic Subdivision (sometimes known as the W&A Sub).
After being captured by the Union in mid-1864 and until the end of the war in 1865, the line was briefly operated by the United States Military Railroad (USMRR).
Regauging
Prior to the Civil War, the rail gauge of most railroads in the South was exactly five feet (5' 0" or 1.524 meters). In 1886, the change to the northern standard of 4' 8½" (1.435 meters) was mandated on June 1, and the W&A accomplished this along all 138 miles (222km) in less than 24 hours, beginning at 1:30PM on May 31 and finishing at 10:00 the next morning. This was done by over 400 men, prying up one rail and moving it closer to the other by exactly three inches (76mm), leaving a compatible gauge of 4' 9" (1.448 meters). The General and many other locos were also regauged at this time.
Great Locomotive Chase
On the morning of April 12, 1862, the locomotive General was stopped at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) so that the crew and passengers could have breakfast. During this time, James Andrews and his Union raiders (Andrew's Raiders), stole the General. The only damage the raiders did involved cutting telegraph lines and raising rails. The train's conductor, William Fuller, chased the General by foot and handcar. At Etowah, Georgia, Fuller commandeered the Yonah and rode it north to Kingston, Georgia. At Kingston, conductor Fuller got the William R. Smith and headed north to Adairsville. The tracks two miles (3km) south of Adairsville were out of service and Fuller had to run the two miles by foot.
At Adairsville, Fuller got the locomotive Texas and chased the General. While all of this was happening, Andrew's Raiders were cutting the telegraph wires so no transmissions can go through to Chattanooga. With the Texas chasing the General in reverse, the chase went right through Dalton, Georgia, and Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
At milepost 116.3 (north of Ringgold, Georgia), Andrew's Raiders abandoned the General and scattered from the locomotive just a few miles from Chattanooga. After the chase, Andrews and most of his raiders were caught. After they were found guilty, Andrews and some members of his party were executed by hanging.
After the chase
When the chase was over, the General returned to service and after her service with the W&A was over, she retired to the L&N depot in Chattanooga. In 1962, 100 years after the chase, the L&N restored her and let her take a trip on her old line. During this time, the City of Chattanooga was declaring war and wanting to keep the General for its own use and halted the train that was carrying the General at the L&N yard for a few days. After the dust had settled, the City of Kennesaw won and the General is currently resting at the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History where she can be seen today. The Texas is nearby at the Atlanta Cyclorama.
W & A in modern times
Today, the W&A has not changed much since the chase of 1862 (a few track realingments by the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway). A marker indicating where the chase began is near the Big Shanty Museum in Kennesaw, Georgia. A marker for where the chase ended is at Milepost 116.3, north of Ringgold, GA, which is not far from the recently restored depot at Milepost 114.5.
A monument dedicated to Andrew's Raiders is located at the Chattanooga National Cemetery and it currently has the General on top of the monument and a brief history of the great locomotive chase.