There were 24 men involved in this event. Two of them were civilians: James J. Andrews, the leader, and William Campbell. The rest were soldiers, all volunteers from General Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel's Division of Ohio troops. Five men came from the 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, nine from the 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment, and eight from the 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment. It is not easy to determine from their files just what each man did as a member of his unit.
Of the 24 men, only 22 reached Georgia for the Raid. James Smith and Samuel Llewellyn dropped out at Jasper, TN, when they enlisted in a Confederate unit to avoid suspicion. This fact is often confusing because James Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor for his participation in the Raid. Of the remaining 22 men, two of them missed the train at Marietta on the morning of April 12, 1862. They were John Reed Porter and Martin Jones Hawkins. These two men did attempt to enlist in the Confederate Army later that day at Camp McDonald near Big Shanty (Kennesaw). They were soon identified as members of the raiding party and so treated thereafter. Thus, only 20 men actually participated in the Great Locomotive Chase-two civilians and 18 soldiers.
The average age of the Raiders was 24.5 years. Andrews and Robert Buffum were the oldest at about 33 years. James Smith was the youngest at 17 years, but he did not participate in the Chase. Of those who did, Jacob Parrott was the youngest with Samuel Robertson just a few months older.
For reasons not entirely clear from the record, all of the party were not court-martialed for their part in the Raid. James J. Andrews was quickly identified as the leader, and he was the first to be tried in Chattanooga. Twelve of the party were moved to Knoxville for trial, but only seven were actually tried. They were: William Campbell, Samuel Robertson, Marion A. Ross, John M. Scott, Charles P. Shadrach, Samuel Slavens, and George D. Wilson. While the following men were taken to Knoxville, they were not tried: Wilson W. Brown, Robert Buffam, Elihu H. Mason, William J. Knight, and William Pittenger. The reason these men were not tried was due, most likely, to enemy activity resulting in the adjournment of the court. The eight men tried were the eight men who were executed in Atlanta.
James Smith and Samuel Llewellyn are rarely associated with the Andrews Raiders, even though they volunteered for the mission. Smith was confined in the Swims Jail in Chattanooga during the same time as the rest of the Raiders, and was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his part. Smith was released and returned to his Confederate unit, later escaping back to his Federal unit. Llewellyn made good his escape from the Confederate unit in which he enlisted and was quickly back with his Federal unit. Of the remaining 22 men, eight were tried and executed. Eight made good their escape from the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on October 16, 1862. They were: Wilson W. Brown, Daniel A. Dorsey, Martin J. Hawkins, William J. Knight, John Reed Porter, John Alf Wilson, John Wollam, and Mark Wood. The remaining six were exchanged on March 17, 1863, at City Point, VA: William Bensinger, Robert Buffam, Elihu H. Mason, Jacob Parrott, William Pittenger, and William H. Reddick. These six men were declared exchanged officially on June 26, 1863.
The first of the group to die after the war was Mark Wood on July 11, 1866. The last to die was John Reed Porter on October 15, 1923. Coincidentally, the last of the Confederate pursuers also died in 1923 - Henry P. Haney, who died in Atlanta on November 19th. The eight who were executed are buried in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, TN. The graves of eleven are scattered across the state of Ohio: Smith, Wollam, Llewellyn, Parrott, Porter, Bensinger, Knight, J.A. Wilson, Mason, W.W. Brown, and Mark Wood. The remaining five are buried across the country from New York to California: Pittenger in California, Reddick in Iowa, Dorsey in Kansas, Hawkins in Illinois, and Buffam in New York. Buffam is buried in an unmarked grave but his remains are known to be buried at the New York Correctional Facility at Auburn, New York, and a Medal of Honor marker has been placed in the vicinity. Others who have an official Medal of Honor marker at their graves are: Brown, Mason, Dorsey, Hawkins, Parrott, Pittenger, Robertson, Ross, Scott, Slavens, Smith, and John A. Wilson.