Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great Railroad Adventure (Collector's Library of the Civil War)

Time - Life, 1982. Reprint. Leather. Near Fine. 5.75"x8.5" 288 pgs. X-library w/graphics. Navy leather. Soldiers blind-stamped on front. 3 gilt edges. Red silk ribbons. Ribbed sewn spine w/gilt letters and stamped star. Marbled endpapers. Frontispiece: Oval B&W portrait of Pittenger. Intro by Rev. Alexander Clark. Spine straight, binding tight, pages clean and bright. Crease on pg. 276. Secure ship w/track #. During the evening of April 7, 1862, twenty-four men infiltrated the Confederate lines below Shelbyville, Tennessee. Their goal was to steal a train and head north, disrupting rail service between Chattanooga and Atlanta by burning bridges, tearing up track, and cutting telegraph wires. If successful, they would isolate Chattanooga and possibly facilitate its capture, enabling the city to serve as a base for Union raids into Alabama. They failed. Three never made it. Seven were hanged as spies. Eight escaped. Six languished in a Southern stockade until they were paroled. Eighteen received the Medal of Honor. Although little was gained militarily by the adventure, the story of the Great Locomotive Chase (also known as the Andrews raid) has fascinated generations of Americans with its many ironies and particularly the dogged persistence of one man; William Fuller, the conductor of the stolen train who relentlessly pursued the raiders. Fuller followed them on foot, by handcar, and by locomotive, even running an engine in reverse at speeds up to ninety miles an hour. Among the raiders was Cpl. William Pittenger. Shortly after he was mustered out, he composed an account of the mission, which was enlarged over subsequent editions and supplemented to become the most well-known and best-regarded account of the adventure. This book is a reproduction of the 1887 edition. It has been duplicated exactly as it appeared at that time with the addition of a brief introduction by Col. James G. Bogle.