End of the Line

After roaring through Tunnel Hill and then Ringgold, it soon became apparent that the chase was almost over. Fuel was about gone and water was running low on the General, whereas the Texas was well supplied.

The W&ARR come into Ringgold from the south on a wide curve followed by a long stretch of straight track with an up-grade. The General was slowing down as it rounded this curve and headed out on the straight stretch. Andrews, realizing his mission had failed, gave his final command: "Jump off and scatter! Every man for himself!" Thus ended The Great Locomotive Chase, at a point some two miles north of Ringgold.

The Andrews Raid had failed. The next attempt against the W&ARR would be made in April, 1863 when Col. Abel Streight and his cavalrymen, mounted on mules, made a famous ride across northern Alabama and into Georgia, only to be captured by Confederate General Forrest's cavalry near Rome.

The final and successful attempt would occur in the spring of 1864 when Gen. William T. Sherman and his massive army fought southward almost four months along the W&ARR to capture the city of Atlanta.

Tunnel Hill, Ga., 1864. The 1,477 ft. tunnel was constructed through Chetoogeta Mountain in 1848 with Irish and slave labor, and opened in 1850. It remained in use until the 1920's, by which time it had become obsolete. That era's larger steam engines would scrape the sides of the tunnel during their passage, and the last train passed through in 1928. A larger tunnel was subsequently built nearby. It is one of the oldest tunnels in the southeast United States.

Big Shanty, Ga., depot in 1864 sketched by T.R. Davis from Harper's Weekly.

Acworth, Ga., depot in 1864 sketched by T.R. Davis from Harper's Weekly.

Click on image to see a large map of the route of the Great Locomotive Chase.