President Biden awards two Civil War soldiers in Ohio the Medal of Honor for their role in the Great Locomotive Chase

WASHINGTON, DC – The year was 1862. With the Civil War in full swing, about two dozen Union Army soldiers from Ohio sneaked into Confederate territory with a bold plan to destroy the enemy’s supply lines and infrastructure between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, before the Union attacked Chattanooga.

The group, known as the “Andrews’ Raiders” because they were led by a civilian spy named James J. Andrews, commandeered a locomotive named the “General” near Kennesaw, Georgia, on April 12, 1862, and drove it north along the Western and Atlantic Railroad Line for about seven hours, destroying telegraph lines and railroad tracks along the way.

When the train ran out of fuel near Ringgold, Georgia, the Ohioans scattered and were arrested by Confederate troops. Eight of them, including Andrews, were executed as spies. The rest escaped or were exchanged for Confederate prisoners.

For their roles in the Great Locomotive Chase, later made into a Disney film in 1956, six of the Ohioans received the nation’s first Medals of Honor. All but two of the non-civilian participants in the raid later received the award, which is given to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves through bravery and intrepidity while risking their own lives and going above and beyond the call of duty.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden will award the nation’s highest military honor to the last Ohio soldiers who have not yet received the award: Private Philip Gephardt Shadrach and Private George D. Wilson. Both were hanged as spies in Atlanta on June 18, 1862. They are buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery.

A native of Pennsylvania who was orphaned at a young age, Shadrach moved to Ohio before joining Company K of the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment from Jefferson County. He was also known as Charles Perry Shadrach and died at the age of 21.

Wilson, a Belmont County native who served in Company B of the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment from Warren County, was in his early 30s when the raid occurred. Before his enlistment, he was a handyman and supported his family as a journeyman shoemaker.

A White House official said it was not known why the couple did not initially receive the medal they deserved.

Relatives of both men will receive their awards, which were authorized in a 2008 defense bill to correct the historic error. Former U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson, a Republican from Springfield, said he introduced the measure at the request of a constituent.

In a statement, Hobson said he was disappointed that the Army took so long to correct the error, but was pleased that thanks to his efforts and those of Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, Shadrach and Wilson finally received the honors they deserved.

“At a time when we are experiencing so much division, the bipartisan commitment to do the right thing and honor these two soldiers with the Medal of Honor can hopefully remind us of the value of national unity and that when we come together as Americans, we can accomplish anything,” Hobson’s statement said.

Brown said his work to correct the historical record required the involvement of the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Defense and, ultimately, the President. He has been working on the case since 2015.

“Privates Shadrach and Wilson served our nation heroically during the Civil War and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the Union – yet due to a clerical error, they never received the Medal of Honor they deserved,” Brown said in a statement.

Ron Shadrach of Independence, a cousin of the dead soldier who has long advocated for the award and set up a website detailing Shadrach’s and Wilson’s heroism, traveled to Washington for the ceremony. He says he first learned of Private Shadrach’s historic role when, as an elementary school student, he visited relatives in the Columbus area and they showed him a plaque at the Ohio Statehouse with the names of Ohioans who participated in the historic raid.

In 2003, he read an article about the medal drive for Shadrach and Wilson and decided to research his connection to the Civil War hero. He learned that the soldier’s grandparents, Robert and Eleanor Shadrach, were his own great-great-great-grandparents. He began writing letters to members of Congress from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Tennessee to raise awareness of the medal drive and submitted his research to the Department of Defense.

“I’m thrilled,” Shadrach said. “I can’t stress enough how exciting this is. I hope that through this, people will read their story and understand what these people and their comrades went through during this time in our country’s history.”

Sabrina Eaton writes for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer about the federal government and politics in Washington, DC.