Stealing the General

This acclaimed book recounts how a small party of Union volunteers infiltrated the South in 1862 and commandeered the locomotive General near Atlanta. They drove it northward in an attempt to destroy a critical railroad line, divide the Confederacy, and change the course of the Civil War. While the raiders succeeded in stealing the General, they were pursued by a group of Southern railroad men, leading to the legendary "Great Locomotive Chase." With their plan foiled, the raiders were hunted down, captured, and imprisoned. Eight raiders were able to escape, others were hanged as spies, and the rest were exchanged later in the war. The survivors of this daring episode were awarded the very first Medals of Honor-the nation's highest decoration for valor. Here for the first time is a complete history of the entire episode and the fates of those involved.