Capturing a Locomotive: A History of Secret Service in the Late War.Pittenger, William
History
Capturing a Locomotive: A History of Secret Service in the Late War.
Pittenger, William
Chattanooga Railroad Expedition, 1862; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
But the swiftness of pursuit was carrying both parties over long spaces.
The next station of importance that lay before us was Dalton, and this
place, twenty-two miles from Calhoun, was soon reached. This was the
largest town we had approached since starting in the morning. It was the
junction of another road which led to Cleveland, on the main line to
Richmond. It had a further and terrible interest to us, in the knowledge
that there we would learn whether our character had really been
telegraphed ahead of us by the way of the coast lines and Richmond. But
if it had, we would learn it too late to make the knowledge of any
service. We would find a military force ready to receive us at the
depot, and our race would be run. Yet we approached cautiously, ready,
if there were any suspicious indications, to reverse the engine at once
and run back towards the pursuing train, with the intention of getting
out of the town and trying to escape through the fields. But we saw no
more than the usual number of persons about the depot, and Andrews at
once leaped from the engine, examined the switch, which was adjusted to
throw a train on the Cleveland fork of the road, had it changed, and
answered all questions as coolly and composedly as ever. The whole had
to be done very promptly, as the appearance of our poor battered train
was sadly against us, and we knew that in a town the size of Dalton it
would be easy to find force enough for our arrest. Besides, it was sure
that in a few seconds Fuller and his tireless band would appear on the
scene. In no period of this eventful day does the courage and
self-control of Andrews shine out more brightly than in the manner in
which he here caused the persons about the depot in a moment to obey his
orders and believe his story, even while thinking it possible that they
might have previous information of his designs, and be only waiting the
arrival of assistance to destroy him. The pursuing train was heard as
expected. Before our foes came near enough to reveal our character
everything was arranged, and taking the left-hand road, that which led
directly to Chattanooga, we again darted forward.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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