At the height of the Civil War, a smuggler-turned-Union spy came up with a daring plan. Leading a team of two dozen Union soldiers from Ohio, James Andrews would sneak behind enemy lines, steal a Confederate train, and use it to destroy some of the South’s limited railroads, hurting the ability to resupply Chattanooga as the Union army prepared to advance on the city.

It partially worked. Andrews’ raiders stole a train known as “the General” and used it to tear up tracks and damage telegraph wires inside through Georgia and Tennessee as they rode toward Chattanooga. The bold, wild plot eventually came to be known as the “Great Locomotive Chase,” and resulted in the first Medals of Honor being awarded to 19 of the 24 raiders. Two more were given the award in 2024.

Now more than a dozen li

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