The General (locomotive)

The General was a wood-burning 4-4-0 "American" type steam locomotive built in 1855 by the Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor in Paterson, New Jersey. It is most famous for its role in the "Great Locomotive Chase" during the American Civil War on April 12, 1862.

Commissioned by the Western & Atlantic Railroad, The General initially operated on the line between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. During the aforementioned Great Locomotive Chase, a group of Union Army volunteers, led by civilian James J. Andrews, hijacked The General at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw), Georgia, with the intent of disrupting Confederate supply lines.

Confederate forces, including the train's conductor William Fuller, pursued the hijacked locomotive north on foot, by handcar, and eventually by other locomotives. The chase ended near Ringgold, Georgia, when Andrews and his raiders were forced to abandon The General after running out of fuel and damaging the tracks behind them.

The events of the Great Locomotive Chase resulted in several participants being awarded the Medal of Honor, both Union and Confederate. After the Civil War, The General was repaired and continued to serve the Western & Atlantic Railroad.

In 1891, the locomotive was retired from active service and placed on display at various locations, including the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. In 1961, after a period of dispute between the states of Georgia and Tennessee, The General was returned to Georgia. It was fully restored in the early 2000s and is currently on display at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia. The General remains a significant artifact of the Civil War era and a powerful symbol of both bravery and strategic importance.