American Civil War Monuments

Andrews’ Raiders Monument

Chattanooga National Cemetery

Chattanooga, TN  

Photo and text courtesy of LCWRT Member Charles Moore

The Andrews’ Raiders Monument, dedicated by the State of Ohio in 1890, honors Union spy James J. Andrews of Ohio, and 24 of his men who struck deep into Confederate Territory on a mission to cut rail and communication lines.  On April 12, 1862, the men boarded “The General” a wood-burning locomotive, at Marietta, Georgia, while the passengers and conductor enjoyed breakfast.  The raiders took off in the engine, heading north, cutting telegraph wires and tearing up the rail tracks along their way.  The train’s conductor and others gave chase, commandeering two other trains as they encountered broken tracks.  When the raiders reach Ringgold, Georgia, 80 miles northwest of Marietta, they jumped from the train, scattering in the forests.  Andrews was captured and eventually hanged in Atlanta.  He and eight others from the mission are buried in the immediate rear of the monument.  Four of Andrews’s men buried here received the Medal of Honor, although, Andrews, as a civilian, was ineligible.  The monument to these daring raiders consists of a granite pedestal topped with a bronze replica of  “The General”.