1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: works dot Com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: Tracy Vie Wilson and I'm Holly Frye, and today we 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: are continuing our episode on the Andrews Raid, also known 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: as the Great Locomotive Chase, which is a train chase 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: which is so exciting that it needed to be in 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: two parts. So to recap about where we are in 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: the story right now, James Andrews and twenty two men 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: have common deered a northbound train in Big Shanty, Georgia, 10 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: which is now Kennison. It's conductor, William Fuller, has started 11 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: chasing them on foot, along with Anthony Murphy, who was 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: a foreman with the railroad who was on his way 13 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: to Alatuna to inspect some machinery, and E. Jefferson Caine, 14 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: who was the train's engineer. That train was pulled by 15 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: a locomotive called the General. Fully remember the men from 16 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: when they embarked on the train Marietta, and at that 17 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: point he had suspected that they might be Confederate soldiers 18 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: who were deserting. He thought they'd run the General until 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: it ran out of steam and then abandon it. This 20 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: was actually a pretty logical conclusion, giving that there was 21 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: a It was a huge Confederate encampment right there, like 22 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: right by the train depot, so aboard the train, just 23 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: outside of Big Shanty. The train very briefly and terrifyingly 24 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: slowed down, and it looked like all was going to 25 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: be lost because of some kind of mechanical problem. But 26 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,199 Speaker 1: the crew realized that a damper had been left open, 27 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: so they closed it again. They re stoked the fire, 28 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: and then they were back on their way and on 29 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: their approach to Acworth, Georgia, Andrews had the men cut 30 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: the telegraph lines using a saw that they found. They 31 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: also delayed a little so they could return to the 32 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: train's normal schedule and arouse less suspicion at the station's 33 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: up the line. He did, however, have an excuse ready 34 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: for why the train was not making scheduled stops. He 35 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: said the train was tasked with carrying munitions and supplies 36 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: bound for General p G. T. Beauregards Army. About two 37 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 1: and a half miles later, the raiders on the train 38 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: approached Moon Station and they found a station a section 39 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: crew at work on the track. The crew was immediately 40 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: suspicious of them. The train was ahead of schedule still, 41 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: and none of the people on the engine were familiar 42 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: to them. They normally would have known the engineer and 43 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: the conductor and the other people working on the train. 44 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: Even so, one of the raiders asked one of the 45 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: workers for a pride bar, and he handed it over 46 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: to him. This found up being the only tool they 47 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: had with which to try to destroy the train tracks. 48 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: Now this is simultaneously dumb, because the whole point of 49 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: this endeavor was to destroy train tracks, and they had 50 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 1: not brought any tools with which to do so. And 51 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: it was also necessary because they really could not travel 52 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: discreetly on foot for many miles while carrying many implements 53 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: of of train destruction. I like how they carefully walked 54 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: through every piece of the plan and they just left 55 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: this kind of a chance, like we hope we find 56 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: a crow bar. Oh yeah, we talked in the previous 57 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: episode about how they stayed at this hotel that was 58 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: owned by a guy who was also acting as a 59 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: union spy. That's entirely circumstantial, and to me, one of 60 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: the arguments against maybe that having been a deliberate connection 61 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: is that that guy would have been a good person 62 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: to pack up some things meant to destroy train tracks 63 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: and you know, label them as cargo and get them 64 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: aboard the train. But that did not happen, so instead 65 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: they had this one pride bar. So back to the 66 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: men on foot, Fuller, being as we said in the 67 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: last episode, in extremely good physical shape, pulled ahead of 68 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: the other two men who were chasing the train, and 69 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: when he found the crew at Moon Station, they told 70 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: him the General had gone by just about thirty minutes earlier. 71 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: Fuller got a pole car and it rolled along the 72 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: tracks while being pulled like a gondola, and he doubled 73 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: back to the other two men and then he resumed 74 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: his pursuit. His goal was to make it to Cooper's 75 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: iron Works, where he knew he'd find an old but 76 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: reliable engine which was known as the Yonah, which he 77 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: could then commandeer for this chase. Although the raiders did 78 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: stick pretty closely to the posted schedule for the train, 79 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: they didn't stop at any more of the stations. If 80 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: they could help it, what they would do is destroy 81 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,679 Speaker 1: the telegraph the telegraph wire, either as they got close 82 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: to the station or after they had passed it so 83 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 1: that they couldn't call for help once they realized something 84 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: was wrong. Eventually, instead of cutting the wires, they would 85 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: just tie it to the back of the train and 86 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: yank it down behind them as they went. Otherwise, they 87 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: just went on past platforms full of confused passengers without stopping. 88 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: They also marked the train with a red flag, and 89 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: that was a signal that danger was present or there 90 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: was another train following behind them, and they did this 91 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: as an attempt to deflect suspicion. Meanwhile, aboard the poll car, 92 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: when Fuller and team got to a section of trunk 93 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: that had been blocked with cross ties next to a 94 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: pull down telegraph wire, he realized that the men he 95 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: was dealing with and chasing were not merely deserters. Yeah, 96 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: this is when he started, in addition to trying to 97 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: catch them, trying to call for help every time he 98 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: got to a station. Things had gotten off to a 99 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: relatively auspicious start for the raiders, but they began to 100 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: fall apart pretty quickly after getting farther away from Big Shanty. 101 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: When Andrews crossed the Ottowah River, he made two kind 102 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: of questionable decisions. What was that he and the crew 103 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: saw the Yonah, which at this point Fuller was already 104 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: planning to get and use. UM Andrews had no way 105 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: of knowing this, but still they He definitely knew that 106 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: the strain was something that could be used to come 107 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: after them. Um the Yonah was an older engine that 108 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: had been retired and it was being rented for private use, 109 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: so they number one did not destroy or disable that engine, 110 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: and then number two they also did not destroy the 111 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: bridge that the Yonah would have had to cross to 112 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: get into pursuit of them. So when Fuller and his 113 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: men arrived just as they had planned, they commandeered the 114 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: Yonah and they took up their pursuit. A little farther north. 115 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: In Kingston, Georgia, there was a fork in the track 116 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: and that connected to a spur out to Rome, Georgia. 117 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: Since he'd studied the train schedule, Andrews knew ahead of 118 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: time that he was going to need to stop here 119 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: to let a southbound train pass to clear the tracks 120 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: before he could go north again. But there were actually 121 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: three southbound trains on the track. Two of them were 122 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: not on schedule. They were driven by panic in Chattanooga 123 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: thanks to the battle in Alabama, and the Andrews wound 124 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: up being delayed by more than an hour. As all 125 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: of these trains cleared. Yeah, basically everybody in Chattanooga was like, well, 126 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: the Yankees are coming out here. We got the go 127 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: So yeah, he the longer he sat there, the more 128 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: people became suspicious, like something was clearly not right. He 129 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: was not the conductor who was supposed to be on there. 130 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: The engineer was not the engineer everyone knew already. They 131 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: started the people at the station started asking questions that 132 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: Andrews really couldn't easily answer. So when these three southbound 133 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: trains were finally clear of the station, the man tending 134 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: the switch refused to switch the track to let the 135 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: general get through. So Andrews took the key and did 136 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: it himself, which pretty much made it obvious to everyone 137 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: that he was up to no good. Yeah that at 138 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: that point, your cover is blown, I think. Well, and 139 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: a lot of their decisions that seem kind of questionable. 140 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: We're partially or wholly motivated by not blowing their cover. Yeah, 141 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: but at this point, I mean, they have really no 142 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: option but to go for broke. So, uh, Andrews and 143 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: his team are finally on their way, but by this 144 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: point Fuller was just mere minutes behind, because, as we mentioned, 145 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: he had commandeered the Yonah and he was giving chase, 146 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: and the three trains that Andrews had to wait for 147 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: didn't cause him nearly so much of a problem. Fuller 148 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: and his team were well known to the other conductors 149 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: and he was able to quickly explain the situation and 150 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: get everyone that he encountered to help, and rather than waiting, 151 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: he abandoned the Unah and picked up the William R. Smith, 152 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: which was on the other side of the waiting trains, 153 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: and as a bonus, it was also a much faster engine, 154 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: Plus there was some nearby militia, and they joined Fuller's 155 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: effort Aboard the William R. Smith. Fuller and his men 156 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: closed the gap on the General and they were doing 157 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 1: really well until they got to a missing piece of 158 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: track outside of Kingston, which Andrews men had actually managed 159 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: to finally pry up. They had to abandon the engine 160 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: and continue again for a while on foot. And now 161 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: let's jump back on the train tracks and get to 162 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: the action. So outside of Dairsville, Andrews and company met 163 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: the southbound Texas, which was an engine that was very 164 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: similar to the General, and it was pulling a very 165 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: long train. Andrews talked to Texas in the yielding on 166 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: assigning so that they could pass, using his excuse that 167 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: his train was tasked with carrying vital war supplies. As 168 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: we alluded to earlier, they could not have used this 169 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: story if they had also damaged the Texas, so, knowing 170 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: they were taking a risk, they let it be and 171 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: they continued on. They let the Texas continue on southward 172 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: as the General continued north, and as you may have predicted, 173 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: this turned out to be their undoing. So Fuller and 174 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: his team on foot again take that marathon, like I 175 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,199 Speaker 1: think he's run far longer than several marathons. At this point, 176 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,199 Speaker 1: encountered the Texas as it was traveling south, and they 177 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: flagged it down. They commandeered it, They uncoupled the freight 178 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: and passenger cars, and then because it was facing south, 179 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,720 Speaker 1: they actually ran it up the track backwards as fast 180 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: as it could go. At this point, they're they're about 181 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: halfway to Chattanooga, and this is another way where you go. 182 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: Of course, this is a Buster Keaton movie. Backs. They 183 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: ran the Texas backwards as fast as they could for 184 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: pretty much the entire rest of the chase, and they 185 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: observed none of the safety precautions that were meant to 186 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: prevent head on collisions between trains. At this point, they 187 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:28,199 Speaker 1: did not have time for any of that, so they 188 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: basically just blew the trains whistle almost NonStop while going 189 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: as fast as they could backwards on a train engine 190 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: that was facing south while they were going north. And 191 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: so this is the part of the chase that's super 192 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: exciting if you're watching a movie, but when you're doing 193 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: a podcast, it is not so exciting because all we 194 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: can keep saying is that they kept running the train 195 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: backwards as fast as possible, which is exciting, but it 196 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,079 Speaker 1: goes on for a while that way. UH Andrews men 197 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: also pushed the general as fast as they could, too, 198 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: and they abandoned their plans to burn bridges and tear 199 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: up the track because the Texas was just way too 200 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: hot on their heels for them to have time to 201 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,079 Speaker 1: stop and do those things, even if they had had 202 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: more time. By this point, it had also been raining 203 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: for days and it was still raining and everything was 204 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: water logged, so not really good conditions for setting fire 205 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: to things. One of the biggest bits of excitement in 206 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: this stretch of the chase is a story of the 207 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: Yankees lighting a box car on fire and leaving it 208 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: either on the tracks or in a covered bridge. Um. 209 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: This sadly is an embellishment that was added later. It 210 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: does appear in both movie versions of this story, though, 211 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: but historically it just does not pan out based on 212 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: the fact that they started with three cars. Um that 213 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: it's just the numbers don't add up. They did not 214 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: set a box car on fire. I am sad to 215 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: tell you it does sound good. I could see where 216 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:56,559 Speaker 1: no scriptwriter would leave that out. Uh. What the men 217 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: aboard the General did do was uncoupled each of the 218 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: lad two box cars, one at a time to send 219 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: down the track toward the Texas. And they were hoping 220 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: that this would cause a crash, but the Texas just 221 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: reduced its speed, caught the car coupled with it because 222 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: remember it is facing backwards, and pushed it off at 223 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 1: the next siding. So this is kind of like a 224 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: perfect storm of all of these crazy things happened in 225 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: such a way that were completely beneficial to Fuller. Yeah, 226 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: it turned out to completely be an asset that they 227 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: were backwards instead of a liability. Um. Other than this 228 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: box car trick, the only damage the raiders really had 229 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: time to do at this point was throwing railroad ties 230 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: onto the tracks that they had collected, all these railroad 231 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 1: ties that they were going to use as fuel to 232 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: set things on fire. Um. They bashed out the back 233 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: of the box car because there's no door or window 234 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: or anything back there. Um, and they just started throwing 235 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: railroad ties out of the back of it. Um. This 236 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: did not work all that well because number one Feller's 237 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:01,839 Speaker 1: men could just move them, and the number two they 238 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: just bounced all over the place. They would bounce off 239 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: of the tracks more often than they would stay there 240 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: um on the rare occasion they took a pause to 241 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: try to pry up some of the track or destroy it. 242 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: They just did not have enough time to do enough 243 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: of a job to slow down the Texas at all. 244 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: And additionally, Fuller very smartly also collected a telegraph operator 245 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: at one of the stations that they passed. He composed 246 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: a message to Chattanooga to warn them about what was happening, 247 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: and he dropped the operator in this message off at 248 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: the next stop with the hope that he would be 249 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: able to send this message before the men aboard the 250 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,080 Speaker 1: General cut the wire farther up the line. As a 251 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: side note, this actually worked, but Fuller had no way 252 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: of knowing that it worked because he didn't have time 253 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: to wait for the conductor to come back. Um With 254 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: the Texas closing in and their supply of firewood dwindling, 255 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: it became really clear that Andrew's plan was on the 256 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: verge of absolute total failure, and they did not even 257 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: know that a second train, which was carrying ten Confederate 258 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: infantrymen and their commander, had also joined the pursuit behind 259 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: the backwards running Texas. Union soldiers on board The General 260 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: started talking about how maybe they should stop the train 261 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 1: and make a stand, but Andrews really didn't have any 262 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: way of knowing how many Confederate soldiers were aboard the Texas, 263 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: and he thought it might be a lot, so he 264 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: decided they should continue on. They did make some brief 265 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: stops for firewood and water so that they could keep 266 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: the engine going, but they can never spend enough time 267 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: at any of their stops to get a full load, 268 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: and as their supplies wound down, they resorted to burning 269 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: paper hats clothes and even Andrew's saddle bags. Basically anything 270 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 1: that they could part with and that would catch fire 271 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: was going in to keep the engine running. And the 272 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: train went slower and slower and slower, and so finally 273 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: out of fuel entirely. The General stopped two miles north 274 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: of Wrangled, which is eighteen or so miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 275 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: So it had traveled eighty seven miles in seven hours, 276 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: and under normal circumstances, the trip all the way from 277 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: Atlanta to Chattanooga was at least a twelve hour journey. 278 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: So these trains had at various points been traveling at 279 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: amazing speeds considering the time, Like, having a train goes 280 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: sixty miles an hour today not a big deal. Having 281 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: a train goes sixty miles an hour over poor quality 282 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: track during the Civil War astounding uh and the raiders 283 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: abandoned the engine and they scattered into the woods. Fuller, 284 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: after making sure that the General was okay, pursued them, 285 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: along with the Confederate soldiers and others who had joined 286 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: the chase along the way. I love that he checked 287 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 1: on the train first nine two in Wringled. It was 288 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: muster day that meant that the town was full of 289 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: families and of young men hoping to enlist in the 290 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: Confederate Army. So when words spread the a bunch of 291 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: Union spies had escaped into the woods in the area, uh, 292 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: they all joined the search in earnest and all of 293 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 1: the raiders, including the ones who missed the train in Marietta, 294 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: were captured on those last two. As a note, it 295 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: quickly became obvious that these two strangers, who seemed to 296 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 1: have nothing to do in Marietta, had something to do 297 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: with the train that was stolen just up the track 298 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: in Big Shanty. So all of the men were captured. Yeah, 299 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: there were a couple of men who almost managed to 300 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: make a clean getaway, but in one way or another, 301 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: somebody caught onto the fact that they were not who 302 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: they said they were, and they all wound up if 303 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: they were captured near wrangled on a train bound to 304 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: Atlanta to go to prison, which was pulled by the general. So, 305 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 1: even though he was a civilian, Andrews was court martialed 306 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: and he was sentenced to death as a spy on 307 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 1: May thirty one, with his execution scheduled for a week later, 308 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: and the night after that he and another inmate actually 309 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 1: escaped from prison, although they were captured again consequently. When 310 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: Andrews went to the gallows on June seven, eight sixty two, 311 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: the shackles around his ankles were secured with rivets. His 312 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: hanging was rather gruesome, even as hangings go. He was 313 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: a very tall man, as we said in the previous episode, 314 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: and so in addition to him being too tall, the 315 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: rope was too long, which meant that his death was 316 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: slow and agonizing, and did not occur until someone literally 317 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: scooped the dirt out from under his feet so that 318 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: they would not touch the ground. His fiancee, Elizabeth Layton, 319 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: died less than two years later, and her family was 320 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: quite insistent that she had died of a broken heart. 321 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: Seven others of the raiders were also hanged on June eighteenth, 322 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: and that immediately followed their convictions because the Confederate Army 323 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:54,199 Speaker 1: did not want to risk another escape attempt by putting 324 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: off the execution for a later date. In this case, 325 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: the ropes for two of the raiders, William Campbell and 326 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,200 Speaker 1: Samuel Slaven's, broke and they had to be hanged all 327 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: over again. The rest of the raiders who at this 328 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: point either had not been tried or had not been sentenced. 329 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: Wound up in prison for a while, and they started 330 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 1: writing to Jefferson Davis and other important people UH to 331 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:24,399 Speaker 1: ask for clemency. However, because there's never uh an end 332 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: to twists and turns and excitement in this story, and 333 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: this is why it's two episodes long, right, ten of 334 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,679 Speaker 1: the men actually busted out on October sixteenth of eighteen 335 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,919 Speaker 1: sixty two. They took the keys from a guard and 336 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: made their escape, and then they paired up UH and 337 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: they scattered in pairs of two. Two of the men 338 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: were caught within a day. Six of them actually found 339 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: their way northward into Union territory over land. Two made 340 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: it to corinth Mississippi, on November eighteenth, and on the 341 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: same day two more made it to Lebanon, Kentucky. Two 342 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: more got to Somerset, Kentucky on December two. And many 343 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: of these men went on to write accounts about the 344 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: raid and their escapes, which are of course full of 345 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: danger and hardship and some extreme embellishments, although the story 346 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: really doesn't need a lot of extreme embellishments to be 347 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,360 Speaker 1: kind of amazing. Yeah, I mean, especially when you consider 348 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,120 Speaker 1: that they all spent more than a month in enemy territory, 349 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,879 Speaker 1: mostly on foot, try to get home, and were escaped 350 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: prisoners of war. As if that were not already exciting enough, 351 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: alf Wilson and Mark Wood did a completely non intuitive 352 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: thing in their escape attempt, and they went south along 353 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: the Chattahoochee River and they continued to follow rivers south 354 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,160 Speaker 1: until they got to the Gulf coast of Florida. Then 355 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: they managed to find a boat and they rode it 356 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: out into the Gulf of Mexico to the USS Somerset, 357 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,199 Speaker 1: which the Union was given using as part of a 358 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,919 Speaker 1: blockade on November seven. That's what we call the hard way. 359 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: It was the hard way, but they got to the 360 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: Union faster than anyone else. The remaining six Raiders that 361 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: were still in jail were moved from Fulton County Jail 362 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: in Atlanta to Livy Prison in Richmond in eighteen sixty two, 363 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: and from there they were moved to Castle Thunder, which 364 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: was a wartime prison in Richmond, and they stayed there 365 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,480 Speaker 1: until March seventeenth of eighteen sixty three, when an officer 366 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: came in and gave a call for anyone who wanted 367 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: to go to the United States. The raiders went with 368 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: about three hundred other prisoners as part of an exchange, 369 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: and they all arrived in Washington on Thursday, March nineteenth. 370 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,199 Speaker 1: So in Washington, d c. They gave an account of 371 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: the raid to the Advocate General of the Army, who 372 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: was Joseph M. Holt, and he had been tasked with 373 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:45,360 Speaker 1: investigating this raid that they had all kind of heard 374 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: a little about. I mean, it had been headline news 375 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: in all of the newspapers everywhere, but they didn't really 376 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: know what had happened. So the Advocate General made a 377 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,919 Speaker 1: note of their bravery and his report. From there, the 378 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: raiders also appeared before the Secretary of War, Edwin McMaster Stanton, 379 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: who presented each of them with medals of Honor. This 380 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: made Private Jacob Parrot, Sergeant Elu Mason, Corporal William Pittinger, 381 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:16,479 Speaker 1: Corporal William Reddick, Private William ben Singer, and Private Robert 382 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: Buffam the first to receive the Medal of Honor in 383 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: the United States. So a note on the Medal of Honor. 384 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: It was conceived by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Davis Townsend, who 385 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: was looking for ways to bolster troop morale as the 386 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 1: war war on. It was to recognize extraordinary courage and 387 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: inspirement in their service. Abraham Lincoln signed a bill creating 388 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: the Naval Medal of Valor in eighteen sixty one and 389 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 1: another creating the Army Medal of Honor in eighteen sixty two. 390 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 1: These were the first official military awards in the United States. 391 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 1: These bills originally applied just to the Civil War, but 392 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: Congress amended the laws in eighteen sixty three so they 393 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: would apply outside of the context of the Civil War, 394 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: and the amendments also made it of that the medals 395 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: could be given retroactively all the way back to the 396 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: beginning of the Civil War, and they could be given 397 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: to commissioned officers, so to kind of recap on the timeline. 398 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: Even though these laws had been passed in eighteen sixty 399 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: one in eighteen sixty two, by eighteen sixty three, when 400 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: the Raiders made it to Washington, d c. None had 401 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: actually been awarded yet until they were awarded to the raiders, 402 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: and those six recipients who were the first to receive 403 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,000 Speaker 1: these awards that were from Andrew's raid were also each 404 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: given one hundred dollars and they were ordered to be 405 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: reimbursed for expenses and the value of anything that had 406 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: been confiscated from them when they said they wished to 407 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,640 Speaker 1: return to the army. They were also all given promotions, 408 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: and they were invited to meet the President, which they 409 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:48,360 Speaker 1: did on March twenty five, eighteen sixty three. The raiders 410 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: who had escaped and the ones who were executed were 411 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: mostly also given medals of honor as well. Um there 412 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: was an exception for some reason of George Wilson and 413 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 1: Perry Shadrack. It's not completely clear why everyone else got 414 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: medals and they did not. The civilians James Andrews and 415 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: William Campbell were not eligible for the Medal of Honor 416 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: because they were civilians. Um, one of the two men 417 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: who got pressed into Confederate service at the very very 418 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: beginning of the story also did not receive a Medal 419 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: of honor. And it's I'm not quite clear on why 420 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: the three uh who were in the military and did 421 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 1: not get a medal, why they did not get to 422 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: meddle and this story actually became deeply important to both 423 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: the North and the South. In the North, the men 424 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: were characterized as daring, cunning heroes, in spite of this 425 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: their failure. They had worked their way deep into enemy territory, 426 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,239 Speaker 1: and they had tried to execute an ingenious idea, and 427 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: you can blame whether and bad luck for it not 428 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: being quite as successful as they hoped. And to the south, 429 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 1: Fuller and the men who joined him were determined heroes 430 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: for thwarting the Northern action, even though he was a civilian. 431 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: James J. Andrews body was moved to the National Military 432 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: Cemetery in Chattanooga in eight seven, and it lies there 433 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: next to the bodies of seven of the other raiders. 434 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 1: The General was actually damaged during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, and 435 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: it's not completely clear whether it was damaged by Confederates 436 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: to keep it from falling into Union hands or by 437 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,960 Speaker 1: the Union just in an effort to damage the Confederate forces. 438 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: It was repaired after the war, however, Yeah, I found 439 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: sources that said the complete opposite on who damaged the General. 440 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: Um Today, the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive 441 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: History is where the General lives. Uh. This was pretty 442 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,479 Speaker 1: much built for that purpose in nineteen seventy two, and 443 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: it's affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. This however, followed an 444 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:54,640 Speaker 1: extremely long kind of custody battle between Tennessee and Georgia 445 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: about who should have the General that actually went all 446 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: the way to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear 447 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: the case, and that lets stand a lower course ruling 448 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: that the railroad could do whatever it wanted with the train, 449 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: and it wound up belonging to Georgia. If you live 450 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: in Georgia or Tennessee, it may not surprise you, as 451 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:19,199 Speaker 1: the two states have a number of rivalries. Uh. The 452 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: Texas is in the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, which, Uh, 453 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: isn't that the Cyclorama moving at some point the not 454 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: Tuesday the Future Show? Presumably the Texas will as well. 455 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: I think so. But uh, I went as I was 456 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 1: confirming because the places that I had found that said 457 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: where all these trains are a couple of years old, 458 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,880 Speaker 1: and I was trying to confirm that everything was where 459 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: it says it is. Uh, And I was like, why 460 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: is the Cyclorama website down? That would be why. Yeah, 461 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 1: I think they're doing a whole move and renovation plan 462 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: with it. Well, that makes sense then, so. Buster Keaton's 463 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 1: The General was a huge box office flop when it 464 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 1: came out, it was critically panned. It's budget was one 465 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 1: of the biggest budgets of the silent film era. But 466 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 1: today it has become a classic. It's number eighteen on 467 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 1: the American Film Institutes tenth Anniversary edition of one hundred Years, 468 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: one hundred Movies. Um. They wanted to use the actual 469 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: General locomotive in the movie, but the people who owned 470 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: it at the time found out that it was a comedy. 471 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: They said no. Um. I watched this movie over the weekend. 472 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 1: It is delightful. If you have an opportunity, I recommend it. 473 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: And the Disney movie that was made in the fifties 474 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: is a drama, and it's more or less accurate in 475 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: terms of the general idea and the stops along the line. 476 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: But of course it is a movie made to thrill audiences, 477 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: so it is embellished. Uh. And as it's a fifties 478 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,440 Speaker 1: era movie about the Civil War, there are some parts 479 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 1: of it that are a little uncomfortable by today's standards, 480 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,679 Speaker 1: for sure, particularly when they sang I wish I was 481 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 1: in Dixie and other parts. Do you have some listener 482 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: mail for us actionist thrilling rind? So, before I get 483 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 1: into the listener mail. This is one of the ideas 484 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:14,120 Speaker 1: that came for a call for happier history stories. I'm 485 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: so glad someone suggested it me too, as as soon 486 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:22,160 Speaker 1: as I was like, well, that sounds like an awesomely 487 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: good time to talk about, as kind of a breather 488 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: from some of the dark and dour things that we 489 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,119 Speaker 1: have had on the podcast lately. I will confess that 490 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: I'm a little I'm still a little bit fixated on 491 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: Fuller's running. I'm like, did anybody clock how far he 492 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: actually ran and how fast? Because that's the kind of 493 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: running nursery I would enjoy. I think his running I 494 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: would probably put it into the more of the ten 495 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 1: k range than the marathon range because whenever they could 496 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:56,399 Speaker 1: get a hand car or a pole car or some 497 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 1: other conveyance. Yeah, they did that mostly because it was 498 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: faster than I'm still impressed. It's still yes, it is 499 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: still extremely impressive, especially because he was dressed in a 500 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: classic conductor's uniform at the time. Okay, our listener mail 501 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: is from Rob. Rob says Hi, Tracy and Holly. I 502 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: just wanted to send you a letter to say thank 503 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: you for the wonderful work you do with Stuff You Missed. 504 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,440 Speaker 1: I came across your podcast when I decided to take 505 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: a break from the numerous pro wrestling podcast I've been 506 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: listening to. Please don't hold that against me. I'm gonna 507 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: pause here and say pretty much our point of view 508 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:36,399 Speaker 1: is like what you like, so we're not going to judge. Um. 509 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: I wanted to see if anyone had any information on 510 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 1: a favorite topic of mine, Rappa Neui Easter Island. That's 511 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: when I found the massive bank of podcasts from Stuff 512 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: You Missed. I was almost as excited as you guys 513 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: were went doing your cheese podcast. I've spent the last 514 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: two weeks going through episode after episode while driving, doing chores, 515 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: or just working out. It's been so wonderful to listen 516 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: to you and your past hosts talk about just wonderful 517 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: moments in time and listening or and learning so much 518 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:05,920 Speaker 1: that I can pass a line to my middle school students, 519 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 1: a question for you and a possible suggestion for future casts. 520 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: My students always look for quote, the ones true answer, 521 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: or what really happened when we study history, But as 522 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: we find out, there is never one answer. There are theories, beliefs, 523 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: and hunches. The time we'll probably never know the quote truth, 524 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: which is hard for my kids and many adults to accept. 525 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: How do you come to grips with this realization? How 526 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:36,080 Speaker 1: has this caused challenges for you in doing your podcast? Um? 527 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: And then he gives some other suggestions, one of which 528 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 1: is the antikithera mechanism, which so robbed Jino. We have 529 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: that one already, yes, I still love that one. We 530 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 1: have a whole whole archive now at our website, so 531 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: you can go um and find it there. And then 532 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: he says thank you and keep up the fantastic work. 533 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: So uh. To answer the question in about the like 534 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: knowing what the truth is or what really happened? Um. 535 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: That's actually been one of the motivators of this podcast 536 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: for me, because I feel like a lot of my 537 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: history classes in school presented things as though that was 538 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:22,239 Speaker 1: the one true answer um. Or sometimes I had one 539 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: teacher in particular, it joe me kind of crazy. She 540 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: would throw out the sort of bombshell of an idea, 541 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: like why do you think there is prejudice against such 542 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,240 Speaker 1: and such a group of people? And she would act 543 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:35,160 Speaker 1: as though there was an answer to this question that 544 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: was the right answer. But then she wouldn't tell us 545 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: what the right answer was, and it was deeply frustrating 546 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: to me. I was like that, if there's an answer, 547 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,480 Speaker 1: why did you tell us? She just wanted to get 548 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: you thinking, but she did it in a way that 549 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: was probably more frustrating than uh yeah, igniting of your 550 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: imaginations and your thought processes. So really, when when it 551 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: comes to the podcast, number one, I think figuring out 552 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: what story we have not already been told is sort 553 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: of a long time motivator of the podcast. Um. But 554 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: then number two, reading things of multiple perspectives and putting 555 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: my own gut response aside and actually listening, uh is 556 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: a big part of how I I work with that. Like, 557 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 1: I see a behavior sometimes that where we will we 558 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 1: will put up a link to an episode or a 559 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 1: link to something interesting, and a lot of people will 560 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: just immediately shut it down because they already know that 561 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: and that they're angry that what we have said is 562 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: not what they already know. And I just want to go, okay, 563 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: just stop responding for a minute and listen to what 564 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: is being said, like, actually listen to it. Then you 565 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: can figure out what you think about that or how 566 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,719 Speaker 1: you respond to it. Don't start by responding to it 567 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: before you have actually listened. Yeah. I mean, for my part, 568 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 1: I am one of those people that I am uh 569 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: not ever really comfortable speaking in absolutes. I never really 570 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:08,440 Speaker 1: have been, uh, And I don't know if that's just 571 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 1: because it was always imparted to me as a kid, like, Hey, 572 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 1: there's rarely one finite simple way to explain anything, whether 573 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: it's you know, something like history or you know, uh, 574 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,719 Speaker 1: will this person be here, Well, they're going to try, 575 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: but you know, any number of things could befall them 576 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: on the way kind of simple. So for me, it's 577 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: actually more comfortable to not look for the one answer. 578 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: It kind of keeps it open where you can, as 579 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: Tracy said, listen and take in all of the different sources, 580 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 1: in all of the different versions you hear that saying 581 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: of there there are three truths, your truth, my truth, 582 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,320 Speaker 1: in the one in the middle that's probably closer to real. 583 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: There are variations on that saying, but uh, yeah, I 584 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 1: mean I think you kind of do pattern recognition, and 585 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: you you look at all of the different accounts of 586 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: the thing that happened and kind of way where those 587 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: accounts came from, and and it's kind of like painting 588 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 1: a picture, except with facts, and for me that's actually 589 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: the more exciting part of it. Yeah. And I encourage 590 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: everyone to think critically about stuff that they read and 591 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: here at just like listen first before you start with 592 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 1: your critical analysis of the thing, uh, because you're not 593 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: really starting from a critical point if you are having 594 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: gut reaction first that you just go with rather than 595 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,800 Speaker 1: like actually absorbing some information to think about first. So 596 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: that is how I feel about all that. And now 597 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: Holly has just expressed that she feels about all that. 598 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,960 Speaker 1: Thank you again, Rob for writing to us. 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