Stealing the General by Russell Bonds

[Gene C]

It's about a train, and more .

Very well written and thorough history of the Northern attempt to steal a Southern train (the General) in north Georgia and take it to Chattanooga, destroying the tracks and railroad bridges along the way to disrupt the movement of Confederate troops and equipment by rail, and aid in the capture of Chattanooga by the Union Army. While they were successful in stealing the train, they were hotly pursued and were not successful in disrupting the rail supply line. All the Union soldiers involved in the theft of the train were captured.

The book covers from beginning to end the planning, theft and capture of those volunteers involved. Some were tried and executed, some were jailed and escaped, others were released through prisoner exchange. Most of those involved in the actual theft of the train were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and there is a brief history regarding this. The story of their lives after the war is also briefly told.

The story has been immortalized in two movies. The Great Locomotive Chase staring Fess Parker (of Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone tv fame) and The General, an older silent movie, staring Buster Keaton (star of many silent screen comedies). Both movies are on youtube.

I found the book well worth reading. If you have ever traveled the interstate highway between Atlanta to Chattanooga, you have pretty much traveled the path of the Stealing the General. The General now resides in the Southern Museum located in Kennesaw, GA. It is well worth the visit if you are in the area.
http://www.southernmuseum.org

The book is full of interesting information, to much for me to summarize here. While not about Lincoln, it does tell the story about an interesting event in Civil War history and the brave men who were involved. I can recommend this book, it was enjoyable to read. I found my copy at a Library Book Sale for $1. You can find a good used copy here for a very reasonable price.
https://www.amazon.com/Stealing-General-...he+General

[Susan Higginbotham]

I'm reading that now! Interesting story and a lot of information on railroads during the war.