On to Marietta

By twos and threes they made their way, generally following the present-day route of U.S. Highway 41 South, and the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad (now CSX Rail Transport), stopping at farms along the way for food and short naps, usually in a barn. As an explanation for their presence, they replied they were enroute from Fleming County, Kentucky to Chattanooga with hopes of finding and joining a Kentucky-raised Confederate regiment. This story had been given them by Andrews, explaining that he knew there were no Confederate soldiers from Fleming County and thus they would not run the risk of being recognized by a Rebel soldier.

Progress of the men was slow. The drenching rains continued, and the Cumberland Mountains had to be crossed before they could reach Chattanooga. Several parties would come in contact with each other along the way and by Wednesday (April 9), Andrews had passed the word postponing the Raid one day. He assumed General Mitchel would also be delayed at least one day due to the unexpected bad weather. Andrews' delay was to have a disastrous effect in the end.

At 5:00 PM, Friday, April 11, most of the Raiders departed Chattanooga on the southbound passenger train over the W&ARR, and reached Marietta around midnight. Only two of the party, Porter and Hawkins, had managed to get through in the original time allotted, arriving at Marietta on April 10. Two others, Smith and Llewellyn, did not reach Marietta at all, having been forced to enlist in a Confederate unit near Jasper, Tennessee, to avoid having to divulge their identity. That night Andrews and 21 of his men slept in Marietta. Most of them at the hotel near the depot then known as the Fletcher House (and later as the Kennesaw House). The remainder of the party were in another hotel, and Andrews made sure that both groups were instructed on the events to follow that morning.

At 4:00 AM, Saturday, April 12, about the time Andrews and his men were getting up at their hotels in Marietta, the regular mixed passenger and freight train pulled by the locomotive General steamed out of the car shed in Atlanta. Jeff Cain was at the throttle that morning; Andrew J. Anderson was the fireman; and the conductor who was to figure so prominently in the adventure, was William A. Fuller. Riding as a passenger was Anthony Murphy, foreman of motive power and machinery for the W&ARR, who was on his way to Allatoona to check on a water pump.

The Kennesaw House was built in 1855 as a summer resort called the Fletcher House. General Sherman headquartered here on July 3, 1864, and it was partially burned in November 1864. It is located across from the Marietta Welcome Center and houses the Marietta Museum of History.

The Wadsmorth's drawing of Camp McDonald, Big Shanty, Ga., 1861.

At Marietta, around 5:00 AM, James J. Andrews and 19 of his Raiders boarded the train with tickets to various points up the line. Only Porter and Hawkins failed to get aboard, having overlooked paying a fee to a room waiter to awaken them that morning, thus missing the adventure completely.

The General Heads North

Prior to boarding the General at Marietta, Andrews gave more instructions to the Raiders:

"...get seats near each other in the same car and of course say nothing of our business on the way up. When the train makes the Big Shanty breakfast stop, keep your places till I tell you to go. If anything unexpected happens, look to me for the lead. Knight, Brown, and John A. Wilson will go with me on the engine. The rest will go on the left of the train forward of where we'll uncouple it. Climb into the cars as quickly as you can when the order is given. If anyone interferes, shoot him, but don't fire unless you have to."

Three empty box cars were behind the locomotive that morning, bound for Chattanooga to bring back supplies and food from Tennessee. The cars were coupled next to the engine, thus fitting nicely into Andrews' plans for the concealment of his men. The box cars also afforded a basis for supporting his later contention that he was conducting an "emergency ammunition train" to General Beauregard and his troops at Corinth.

From Marietta to Big Shanty the railroad sweeps in a long bend, of some eight miles, around the foot of Kennesaw Mountain. The train chugged slowly, stopping at several intervening points, and reached Big Shanty about full daylight at 6:00 AM.

As the train drew into the station, white tents, guards, and recruits at Camp McDonald came into view. This military instruction camp had been established only recently and Andrews was unaware of it. It was located west of the railroad with the guard line coming to within 50 feet of the railroad track.