Stealing the General

The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor

By: Russell S. Bonds

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

On April 12, 1862—one year to the day after Confederate guns opened on Fort Sumter and started the Civil War—a tall, mysterious smuggler and self-appointed Union spy named James J. Andrews and 19 infantry volunteers infiltrated Georgia and stole a steam engine called the General. Racing northward at speeds near 60 miles an hour, cutting telegraph lines, and destroying track along the way, Andrews planned to open East Tennessee to the Union army, cutting off men and materiel from the Confederate forces in Virginia. If they succeeded, Andrews and his raiders could change the course of the war.

But the General’s young conductor, William A. Fuller, chased the stolen train - first on foot, then by handcar, and finally aboard another engine, the Texas. He pursued the General until, running out of wood and water, Andrews and his men abandoned the doomed locomotive, ending the adventure that would soon be famous as “The Great Locomotive Chase.” But the ordeal of the soldiers involved was just beginning.

In the days that followed, the raiders were hunted down and captured. Eight were tried and executed as spies, including Andrews. Eight others made a daring escape, including two assisted by a network of slaves and Union sympathizers. For their actions, before a personal audience with President Abraham Lincoln, six of the raiders became the first men in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest decoration for gallantry. Americans North and South, both at the time and ever since, have been astounded and fascinated by this daring raid. But until now, there has not been a complete history of the entire episode and the fates of all those involved.

Based on eyewitness accounts, as well as correspondence, diaries, military records, newspaper reports, deposition testimony, and other primary sources, Stealing the General is a blend of meticulous research and compelling narrative that is destined to become the definitive history of “the boldest adventure of the war”.

©2007 Russell S. Bonds (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Stealing The General

Bronson Pinchot did a good job narrating this story. This is my first Russell S. Bond book. He did a good job as a historian in documenting his evidence. I chose the book because it told the story of the first Metal on Honor winner. The book also told how the Metal of Honor came about and who's ideal it was and how Winfield Scott fought against giving metals. Bond's went about correcting the historical error created by other writers and of the Hollywood movie about the story. At times the story dragged but overall it was an enjoyable read. I learned a lot about the railroads in the Civil War.

Fabulous unreal but true story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I have already recommended this bok to several others

What did you like best about this story?

That it is true.

Any additional comments?

I never rate books and usually read mysteries, but I remembered reading "The Great Locomotive Chase" when I was a kid and decided to listen to this. The story was unbelievable, even more so because it is true. It kept my interest throughout and was read well. The characters came alive and the sense of history was well portrayed.

Sometimes the Truth can be a Let-down

Make no mistake: this is a complete, thoroughly researched, and well-organized account of one of the most infamous events of the Civil War. The Audible version is also well-narrated by Bronson Pinchot (that's right- "Balki" from Perfect Strangers). Unfortunately, I found myself constantly thinking about how many other Civil War heroes undoubtedly had far greater stories that were never told and/or never achieved the notoriety of this tale. It's not surprising that many of the movies, speeches, and books that previously dealt with this story felt the need to "embellish" the facts.

The Andrews Raid in All its Aspects

Here we have not just the story of the Andrew’s Raid – it’s genesis, planning and execution – but all its consequences, from the imprisonment and hanging of (some of) the raiders to the effect of their raid on Northern and Southern perceptions, it’s place in the wider story of the war and later sectional reconciliation, the ultimate fate of the engines involved, the origins of the Medal of Honor and, ultimately, the inevitable squabbles between aging veterans on both sides as each tried to magnify their own role in the drama.

And “drama” is far from hyperbole. History is usually more riveting than fiction for the simple reason that it’s true. But it helps to have a writer like Russel Bonds at the keyboard. This is a superbly written book, from the construction of individual sentences to the pacing and shape of the overall narrative. And Bronson Pinchot does it all full justice.

True Story Behind My Favorite Movie

In high school I discovered Buster Keaton's 1926 silent move "The General" it is still my favorite movie. Little did I know that it was based on a true story! The Great Locomotive Chase, or Andrew's Raid occurred on April 12, 1862 in northern Georgia.

Two civilians and 22 Union soldiers (mainly from Ohio) volunteered for a mission to steal a railroad engine and destroy track and telegraph in Georgia and Tennessee. They snuck behind enemy lines, boarded the train at Marietta GA, and while the crew and passengers were off the train having breakfast at Big Shanty GA (now Kennesaw), they uncoupled the passenger cars and left. The raid might have succeeded, but an engineer from the stolen General pursued them along with others.

I loved Bond's book which includes Civil War history before and after the engine theft,the planning, the chase, details of men involved (both the 23 Yankees who stole the engine and the Confederates who followed), what happened after the war, and the place in history of the many players involved. Since many of the Union soldiers were given the first Medal of Honor, the book also provides history about that decoration for valor.

Finally, the fate of the two engines? The General is in the Confederate History and Railroad Museum in Kennesaw GA and the pursuing Texan is in the lobby of the Cyclorama Museum building in Atlanta.

Pointlessly thorough

Where does Stealing the General rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Below average.

Would you recommend Stealing the General to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I enjoyed learning more about the Civil War and railroads at the time, but the raid itself wasn't particularly exciting, nor was it in any way successful. It was never really made clear why they chose this particularly obtuse way to try and sabotage a railroad (stealing a train and then destroying the track and bridges behind it as they headed north). And given that they did, the approach they took seemed to maximize the chance for failure. The opportunities to muddle the operation of a single-track railroad seem numerous, especially with 24 men. The chosen method, while daring, seems particularly stupid and unworthy of great attention.

Also: Bonds rather pointlessly follows every person or object vaguely related to the raid through the following century and even beyond--not just the raiders, but the generals (and the General), the southern railway men and jailers, and medals of honor in general. The details of the survivors' squabbles over the details of the raid made me regret my typical compulsion to read/listen to most books to the bitter end.

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

Fortunately, he didn't really change his voice for various characters (of course, there's little if any dialog in the book anyway). He got a little over emotional for my taste at times, but in general was quite easy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

In the end, the story just wasn't interesting or exciting enough to justify a book of this length.

Good Book

Would you consider the audio edition of Stealing the General to be better than the print version?

I have only listened to the audio version.

Have you listened to any of Bronson Pinchot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other of Mr Pinchot's readings that I am aware of. I did not realize until after I had completed parts 1 and 2 that he was the reader being familiar with one of his past tv series. I did think, quite a few times during listening to the book that the narrator was very good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was too long for that.

Any additional comments?

I have had this book on my wish list for many months but I only recently got it because it was on sale for 4.95. I have listened to many audiobooks on the civil war. I had read the summary and thought "what the heck". After a slow start, this was a fascinating story that I was not aware of. I found it to be very entertaining and highly recommend it.

A Civil War reenactment.

As one who is deeply interested in American Civil War history, I had heard this story many times prior to Bonds's work. Well narrated, I found it hard to put this one down. The tragedy that was our "Civil" War had some bright, humorous moments, and this story captures one of them. Here's this band of Yankees daring to go deep into Rebel territory not to assassinate someone, but rather to steal a hissing, rattling, tooting, steam engine--ultimately pursued by another steamer running backwards. Outright laughter is tempered by lots of human despair, but this is a great read. It's difficult to keep all the characters clearly in place, but anyone interested in the tragedy of the Civil War needs to have this book.

Chattanooga Choo-Choo??

This book is a well written, comprehensive, interesting and exciting episode of the US Civil War. 24 individuals plan to swipe a train in Georgia and 20 make it to where the "General" runs out of fuel...pursued by rebel train men. Eight blue bellies are subsequently hung as spies and the rest live long lives, some with the first Medals of Honor ever awarded. It's so well written that it enables a quick grasp of the subject and a knowledge of the 30-40 or so persons involved on both sides of the conflict. I enjoyed the book so much that I now want to visit the sites of the action; current Atlanta, GA to Chattanooga, TN.

NARration probLEMS

Amazing events during amazing times.
Dry account.
Less appealing due to narrator randomly putting emPHASIS on random sylLABLES.