Civil War soldiers receive Medal of Honor for Confederate train robbery

Two Civil War soldiers who entered Confederate territory to steal a train and destroy the enemy rail system will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Pvt. Philip Shadrach and Pvt. George Wilson, members of the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, are finally honored as participants in the so-called “Great Locomotive Chase.”

On April 12, 1862, the two joined 20 other Union soldiers and two civilians to take over a train in Georgia and drive it north while destroying Confederate railroad tracks and telegraph lines. Both men were captured and executed by hanging.

Now, 162 years later, the soldiers are being honored for their previously overlooked contributions to an event Others have also been awarded the Medal of Honor, including Pvt. Jacob Parrott, the first soldier to receive the military’s highest award for valor.

“It touches me deeply,” said Theresa Chandler, Wilson’s great-great-granddaughter, at a media event on Tuesday. “It touches me so much when I think about how brave and courageous he was.”

The plan was straightforward. By sabotaging the Western and Atlantic Railroad, the men would prevent the Confederates from bringing supplies or reinforcements from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and prevent them from making strategic advances. Shadrach, Wilson, and the others met at Big Shanty, now Kennesaw, Georgia, where they took over a locomotive named the General and carried out their operation. But the Confederates caught up with them and captured the attackers.

“More than anything, it is the story of American soldiers far from home performing extraordinary deeds and showing courage for their country,” said Dr. Shane Makowicki, a historian with the Army Center of Military History.

He and another historian explained that whether it was an initial oversight in the documentation process or a lack of individuals to advocate for their causes, the bravery of Shadrach and Wilson was no less than that of the other men involved, most of whom were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.

“It just so happened that at that point in our history, there was no one there to stand up for them and get the thing done,” said historian and author Brad Quinlin, who also speculates that one of the reasons for the delay may have been that their infantry regiment had been decimated in another battle, so there were few who could advocate for honoring the troops.

Authorization to award the awards to the soldiers was provided in the Defense Act for fiscal year 2008. However, it took some time for the documents to get into the right hands and across the finish line.

But not everyone involved in this risky venture received recognition for their actions.

James Andrews – the leader of the group that became known as the “Andrews’ Raiders” – and William Campbell were not eligible for the Medal of Honor as civilians. However, Quinlin said he was working on proposals to award them the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In addition, one of the group’s remaining soldiers, Samuel Llewellyn, does not hold the country’s highest military decoration. According to Quinlin, he refused it because he felt he did not deserve it since he was captured before reaching the rendezvous point.

Shadrach and Wilson are buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee, Quinlin told Military Times.

Kimberly Chandler, a great-great-great granddaughter of Wilson, described her ancestor’s story as “a story of intense devotion and commitment, tremendous courage and camaraderie in a group of men who had known each other only a short time, who believed in the mission and in the sacrifices they were making to preserve the Union.”