THE GENERAL (LOCOMOTIVE)

'''The General''' is a type 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War. The locomotive is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

Before the Civil War

Civil War

Present-day

References

External links

Before the Civil War

Built in 1855 by Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor in Paterson, New Jersey,^[2] ''The General'' provided freight and passenger service between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, before the Civil War on the Western and Atlantic Railroad^[3]

Civil War

Main articles: Great Locomotive Chase


During the Civil War ''The General'' was stolen by Northern spies led by James J. Andrews at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw), Georgia, and abandoned north of Ringgold, after being pursued by William Allen Fuller and the ''Texas''. Low on water and wood, the ''General'' eventually lost steam pressure and speed, and slowed to a halt two miles north of Ringgold, where Andrews and his raiders abandoned the locomotive and tried to flee.
Later, the ''General'' narrowly escaped destruction when General John Bell Hood ordered the ordnance depot destroyed as he left Atlanta on September 1, 1864.

Present-day

Housed at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia.

References

1. National Register Information System
2. Rogers locomotives: A brief history and construction list, Moshein, Peter and Rothfus, Robert R., , , Railroad History, 1992
3. Stealing the General; The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor, Bonds, Russell S., , , Westholme Publishing, 2007, ISBN 1-59416-033-3

External links

★ About North Georgia: The General