Bracken's Career/Texas after the War

Bracken's Career / The Texas After the War

Peter James Bracken

Bracken continued as a railroader, but left the Western & Atlantic Railroad soon after the War. He died in his 76th year at Macon, Georgia, on May 26, 1909, and was buried on Holly Ridge in Rose Hill Cemetery. In 1971, through the efforts of Jim Bogle, his grave was marked with an appropriate memorial bearing the likeness of the Texas in its war time character as researched and drawn by the late Wilbur G. Kurtz.

Grave of Peter James Bracken in Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Georgia.

Granddaughters of Peter James Bracken stand with the new memorial marking his grave. Left to right are: Mrs. John A. Pennington, Miss Louise Smith, and Mrs. Mildred Miller, September 25, 1971.

Henry P. Haney

Henry P. Haney left railroad service shortly after the War and became a fireman rising to the position of Assistant Chief of the Atlanta Fire Department before his death. He is buried in Casey's Hill Cemetery in Atlanta.

The Grave of Henry P. Haney (1846-1923) at Casey's Hill Cemetery, Atlanta.

The Texas continued in service for the remainder of the War. The next accounting to be found of the Texas appears in a handwritten report rendered by John H. Flynn, Master Mechanic of the W&ARR, to Superintendent Robert Baugh of the Road. Flynn wrote: "The engine Texas, in Virginia, is expected in a short time, as a messenger has been dispatched for her." This report, dated October 21, 1865, gave a listing of the engines owned by the Western & Atlantic RR together with a statement of their condition. A total of 47 engines were listed with only two of them reported as being in "good order" – the remainder requiring repairs of one kind or another. Such was the condition of the motive power of the state-owned railroad after the Civil War. A year later on September 30, 1866, Master Mechanic Flynn reported the engine Texas as being under repair, the total cost of which was $2,898.94.

Why was the engine Texas in Virginia in the fall of 1865, almost 200 miles north of the end of the rails of the Western & Atlantic RR which terminated in Chattanooga? What had happened to this engine that had performed so well on April 12, 1862, with Engineer Peter J. Bracken at the throttle and Conductor William A. Fuller and his party aboard on the famous chase of the General?