The Great Locomotive Chase: First Medals of Honor | US Train History | Extra History

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Join us on an adrenaline-fueled journey through one of the most daring and audacious acts of sabotage in Civil War history as you step aboard a hijacked Confederate train. The General, as Union spy James J. Andrews and his strike team will embark on a perilous mission to cripple enemy infrastructure and turn the tide of war as conductor William A. Fuller races against time to reclaim his beloved engine.
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Artist: Ali R Thome I Writer: Robert Rath I Voice: Matthew Krol I Video Editor: Devon House Creative I Audio Editor: Clean Waves I Studio Director: Geoffry Zatkin I Social Media: Kat Rider I ♪ Music by Demetori: bit.ly/1EQA5N7 I ♪ "Extra History Theme" by Sean & Dean Kiner
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[@extrahistory]

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[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Thanks For this Guys! You're the Best ❤❤❤❤❤

[@also_arles]

The sprinting to railcar to train pipeline was insane 😭 I got a laugh out of it! Never mess with someone who doesn't skip leg day!

[@user-je7fr5nb5x]

Excuse me, is this an error or something? Your video has been uploaded an hour ago, but it says that your video is uploaded a day ago.

[@davidtceultra2556]

I actually own a model of the General

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

How he ran was amazing! You guys always make Me laugh! Never skip leg day🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@snazzyyeti5469]

I laughed out loud seeing Fuller chase the train.

[@dinoz2113]

Yea me too 😂😂😂

[@sharkside8]

MAN. That dude was devoted to his train

[@nulolove]

“FLINT LOCKWOOOOD!”

[@flyingace1234]

That was full on Loony Tunes.

[@IceAokiji303]

I didn't initially. Then he got the handcar.

[@Del_S]

Oh, they steal a train, they get the medal. I steal a train, I get five stars.

[@jcl4370]

join the military then try it

[@charlieinthe_box]

Five Starz? Congratulations, super general!

[@DragoSonicMile]

My dumb brain thought "five stars" meant a one-tribute Monster card.

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

[@93MANIAC]

To be honest they did also get five stars

[@TheJacobG]

You have to respect Fuller's determination. Come hell or high water, he was going to get that train.

[@ecurewitz]

He got it

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

[@yuvalgabay1023]

running one 100% spite

[@Old_Glory]

Y'know if someone stole your beloved locomotive you'd be mad too

[@natheriver8910]

True😅😅😅

[@mosesmm5473]

Fuller is the ancestor to the security guard from Subway Surfers

[@madisons2117]

Some say they are the same person. He just never stopped.

[@CrimsonBlasphemy]

All ya all gonna say how Loony Toon the conductor was, going after the train.... But y'all not considering that it was HIS Train! The conductor isn't just some oldy-timie steward. Conductors are THE BOSS on the train. Not the train engineer, they're just the operator of the locomotive. So the hijacked train was a PERSONAL insult.

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎ ‎

[@justanothercommenter5835]

It's the equivalent of a captain commandeering a motorboat to chase after some pirates.

[@dasirrlicht5415]

@@justanothercommenter5835 More like jumping after it into the water, comadeering a fisher along the way, and then showing up next time standing at the bow of a cruiser still shouting to give back that thrawler.

[@macaylacayton2915]

To be fair they were trying to cut off one line of accessing resources

[@sptownsend999]

The Buster Keaton movie is also really impressive because a lot of those stunts are real. That movie also contains the most expensive shot in film history: when a bridge collapses with a train driving overtop, they actually destroyed a steam locomotive to get the most realistic "trainwreck". The dedication!!

[@smalltime0]

It'd probably be the most expensive scene shot in silent film history - but not history overall. That'd either be The Battle of the Borodino in "War and Peace" or Ney's cavalry charge in "Waterloo".

[@Toonrick12]

How Expensive you might ask? $42,000. In 2024 dollars, that $741,126.78. I doubt any film make today would physically destroy something worth 3/4th of a million dollars for just one scene.The film itself had a beefy budget at $750,000. Granted, that's not huge by today's standards (With inflation it's in the $14 Million range) but still, a lot of money was put into it.

[@wingracer1614]

@@Toonrick12 It's estimated that Speed 2 spent about 25 million to partially build a cruise ship and then destroy it. Movies can be stupid expensive.

[@tarzina]

it was shot in oregon and the small town by where they were filming came out to see it, they had a dummy in the drivers seat , and when it went down some of the people freaked out. also there was a forest fire that all the people filming stopped and put out the fire! PBS did a documentary on it.

[@Kaebuki]

Huh, sorta like the precursor to Tom Cruise’s steam train destruction.

[@jokodihaynes419]

"I say i say i say i say boy our train being stolen"-foghorn longhorn

[@user-gw4oz1rk3i]

I scream, you scream, we all scream icecream!

[@4362mont]

By a tiny chicken hawk?

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎

[@Marjax]

Activate T9000 run!

[@Historyfrek4ever]

Fuller better have gotten an employee of the month or something because he was one dedicated conductor.

[@madisons2117]

I don't know if he ever got employee of the month, but, he does get to be remembered for hundreds of years solely for his tenacity with a near 0% chance of having his name tarnished anymore than for being a confederate sympathizer. Thats seems like the better achievement.

[@jesenjin8467]

Okay, this one could have been a comedy thanks to that tenacious train conducter! The ending was somber though.

[@thomashambly3718]

A very good comedy was made based on this, its called "The General" by Buster Keaton, one of his best films. I would highly recommend a watch, its on youtube, one version even has the original Piano Score

[@justkev6277]

Love the image of Fuller chasing the train and getting upgrades! 🤣🤣🤣

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

I'm guessing I'm not the only person who saw that title and had high/middle school band flashbacks.

[@douding999]

Fr

[@TuneRMX323]

YES

[@averagewarhammerenjoyer9526]

Never played it but man, it was still a huge joke for us

[@sampathalavilli9428]

Thank you

[@sampathalavilli9428]

Best song I have currently played in high school

[@reaperking2121]

Funniest thing is that this isn’t even a single time occurrence in Us history . US Seabees also managed to steal a train from behind North Korean lines during the Korean Wat

[@NJFireDepartment]

Stole the train and some booze, plus they repaired the sabotaged tracks.

[@05Matz]

So you're saying that the USA produces the world's finest train robbers? ...I suppose that tracks.

[@Game_Hero]

@@05Matz bud dum tss

[@Sirmatthaeus]

Lesson learned. NEVER STEAL FULLER'S TRAIN!

[@HipHop-op3hq]

The ultimate cop: Fuller. Run until you get an upgrade 😂😂

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

If you don't allow the train to stop and eat breakfast it will eventually become enraged and start attacking the townspeople out of Hanger. Always feed your locomotive.

[@Soundwave3591]

not too far from what actually happened: as they were constantly being chased, the General eventually ran out of fuel as the Union raiders couldn't stop to resupply.

[@matthewmerchant2038]

William "Not On My Watch" Fuller

[@spindash64]

GTA Star system

[@Toonrick12]

To put in perspective of how important Buster Keaton's "The General" is, it was one of THE first movies selected to be added to the National Film Registry, right next to Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, and A New Hope (Star Wars IV).

[@MD0Hatter]

Yea, that puts it into perspective of being the only one on that list I haven't seen and after this video I'll have to change that.

[@STho205]

One of the few times Walt Disney made the more accurate film, but BKs movie was a great romp.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Fuller chasing the train was hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@emmanuelrosas1434]

"I say, I say, I-Isay, I say, I say, I say BOY! I think our train's been stolen!" -William Fuller, probably... *hiccup*

[@Ran_out_of_ideas]

Fuller has that indomitable human spirit in him

[@maxfieldjoyner5244]

The parody of the Inglorious Basterds speech got me. Flawless

[@anniel6479]

The whole video I was thinking to myself, "This should be a movie!" I'll definitely have to watch the film adaptations mentioned here.

[@timmccarthy9917]

Fortunately, The General is public domain and you can watch it anywhere for free. Hell, it's available on Wikipedia.

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

There's also a Disney version that punches well above its weight

[@claireotoole2934]

The Buster Keaton version is a really good comedy,and was ground breaking in its day. Keaton plays a character based on Fuller. Just bear in mind going in that it is a product of its time (1920s) and has Gone With the Wind levels of South good, North bad protagonist centric morality. I found it watchable despite that but your milage may vary.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

@claireotoole2934 It’s far more pro Confederacy than Gone With the Wind. It has a Confederate happy ending and nothing negative mentioned of Confederacy, the love interest also rejects main character played by Keaton at first because he didn’t enlist in the army like her family (but he wanted to! He just could not because he was a valuable engineer!). Gone with the Wind is more about societal collapse and horrors of war. It does make South look cleaner (Ashley says he would have freed the slaves after he inherited them for example). But it never acts like South didn’t start the war or that it wasn’t foolish or that most slaves didn’t just ran away the first moment they got. And Scarlett doesn’t really care of anything but herself.

[@EngieTheRiolu]

Can we take a second to appreciate the fact that they uploaded this on National Train Day?

[@Elfinlocks]

Historian and Georgia native here! One of the best sources we have on this raid is the firsthand published account of one of the raiders, William Pittenger. His work on it, "The Great Locomotive Chase: A History of the Andrews Raid," is a nice read, which is pretty widely available. We also have a nice museum here in Big Shanty (modern day Kennesaw) with a lot of memorabilia of the raid :)

[@Anonymized-name]

I visited the museum in Kennesaw once knowing the story of the General but assuming it no longer existed. You can imagine my surprise walking into the exhibit with the fully intact locomotive standing before me!

[@frantasramota1359]

4:27 Never ever steal the train, because the conductor will find you.

[@jonathanbriggs7057]

I live right by where all this took place. Every year we even have a locomotive chase festival.

[@pointly]

"See ya Johnny Reb! Thanks for the train!" "Curse ya Billy Yank! I'm comin' fer y'all! Gimme back my train!"

[@GrantGraff]

If anyone wanted to learn more about the event and see the actual General, I would highly recommend the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotives in Kennesaw, Georgia. Built on the actual site of the robbery, the museum has everything from the medals of honer given, to a model of the robbery. It's likely one of the best museums in Georgia.

[@mxolisimoto302]

Man, fuller is determined😂😂😂

[@user-kz6in8qk2h]

During the main titles I thought, “One of the *last* people you want to piss off through theft is a TRAIN LOVER”, and William Fuller went above and beyond. CHOO CHOO CHARLES! Do you think Fuller’s story contributed to the archetype of the passionate train devotee?

[@nulolove]

Fuller is the original officer Earl I can imagine him running after the train screaming “FLINT LOCKWOOOOOD!”

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

This or "LEROOYYYJENKINSS"

[@joshuaman95]

Oh thats Awesome. Big Shanty is now the city of Kennesaw, where a really big battle took place. Would love for you guys to cover it! Lived there for many years.

[@Windona]

That sounded like a chase sequences out of a cartoon. Or perhaps that chase sequence inspired cartoon ones.

[@charliefarmer4365]

Am I the only person who thinks the entire heist feels very Looney Tunes?

[@claireotoole2934]

The Buster Keaton version is as full on Looney Tunes as you can get without being animated.

[@1987AnimeBoy]

Maybe because how this short depicted the chase.

[@lukeparham3295]

I lived in Kennesaw for a while. The Southern Museum there has the General locomotive. It’s really cool!

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

Yup. Same here. Would highly recommend.

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

There's also a great Disney adaptation that punches WAAAAAAAYYY above its weight

[@madisons2117]

I am convinced that Fuller played a much larger part in the punishments. He probably made it to the court faster than the cart that hauled the train snatchers in.

[@poetik7310]

Fuller is just some kind of a cartoonish villain.

[@Player-px1jq]

"because Fuller had upgraded again" is it just me or is there an idle game in this story? 🤣

[@krzysztofdabrowski9399]

I'm sorry, I kinda cheer for Fuller. I know that confederacy=bad, but he was a man of focus, commitment and sheer effin' will. Gotta admire that.

[@STho205]

Question: do Gen Washington and the patriot rebellion equal bad or good in the binary logic?

[@CCJJ160Channels]

4:31 - “Oooooohhh, there’s no stopping the Batman!”

[@ikebeckman1074]

2:25 nice basterds reference lmao

[@SONICX1027]

As a huge train buff, this Locomotive Chase is such an amazing history in railroading. It’s also amazing that those engines are preserved as well

[@adampeirce5764]

I'm so glad you finally decided to cover this story, it's one of my favorite historical stories ever!

[@MalikF15]

See kids this is why you never skip leg day. How else can you out run train jakers on foot?

[@abstractapproach634]

A train seems kind of easy to catch, but idk wtf you do when you get there

[@abstractapproach634]

Oh, obviously you get yourself a train, fuller I'd I'd gangster

[@user-je7fr5nb5x]

I must ask, do you list down all the sources and citations every time you do a standalone history video like this? For series like Fredrick the Great and Ned Kelly, you did put a "Recommended Reading" section in your lies video. Is this where you cite the sources of your information? Note: I am asking all of this because I just wanted to know where you cite the sources.

[@user-gw4oz1rk3i]

I scream, you scream we all scream icecream!

[@LoralCrowned]

You got my thumbs up at the ”Sabotage!” 😂

[@AfaqueAhmed_]

Never mess with a conductor's train .

[@LexiLunarpaw]

Yay! Its Time for the Greatest Show is Back!

[@jmkbartsch]

Just purchased Nebula Lifetime. Great way to support my favorite creators.

[@philipsullivan4885]

Awesome! I'd forgotten about the film so thanks for the content. Also sooo excited for Hypatia!

[@fellipepessoa1685]

That train chase is the most looney toons thing possible lmao I want to see a full animated movie about this

[@frankyquilavafireblast895]

We’re talking about trains, baby! I love history

[@karatejoe6332]

This is actually one of my favorite music compositions, I’ve been waiting years for this video

[@Seltyk]

I've been waiting for an episode about this!

[@SilverGear_]

I had feared there was no hope in heck of you guys doing an episode on one of the most dramatic railway related events in history, and yet here we are. It was fun to watch, thanks team EH!

[@ZiplockBob]

I absolutely love the timing of this. This is the second year where I go to all the Medal of Honor burial sites at the Chattanooga National Cemetery and read off the commendations of the MOH recipient there during memorial day to honor them. This was a wonderful retelling of the valor and bravery these men possessed.

[@edwardcarlisle5580]

As an expert of the Great Locomotive Chase, I can say that a lot of details were missed, but, for the sake of time, this was a well done history short about the event. I will say though, that while Parrot was the first man to have the Medal of Honor pinned on him, all seven of the Raiders were the first to receive the medal. Secretary of State Stanton said "Your party shall be the first to receive it." Meaning, that they were all the first, together. Stanton did not say "You are the first." Obviously, someone had to be pinned first because Stanton only had two hands, but the seven Union Raiders were all the first to receive the Medal of Honor together.

[@TheKitsuneCavalier]

As I learned about the details of the chase, I was going to say, "NO WONDER BUSTER KEATON MADE A MOVIE OUT OF THIS! He hardly had to change a thing!!!" 😂

[@yousifnash5378]

I don't think I laughed louder at a extra history video than this one.

[@up3982trainmaster_challenger]

At 4:51 Fuller DID NOT have a handcar but he actually had a pull car. A pull car is like a flatbed but only two axles and you would use a pull(made of wood) to push the car. They are lighter than a handcar too. Also at 6:11 the raiders ran out of wood and water. They didn’t see smoke from other locomotives.

[@LCCWPresents]

I love this and it should be made into a hilarious Quentin Tarantino comedy as his last film.

[@RazSofer-xh3qs]

So this is where Dutch’s obsession of robbing trains comes from

[@theoutlook55]

Solid video. Solid story.

[@user-bq9vl9lm5u]

Thank you for being such a fun channel to watch! Recommended to my boyfriend and he’s been binging the channel for the last couple days and we’re bonding over our shared love for you guys!

[@A-oq8ne]

Finally you did this story!

[@DevinBrooking]

7:05 i can make out the borders of Orange Virginia where i live perfectly thats because the Rapidan River is our northern border and was a decent defensive position during the war as you can clearly see bc it was significant enough to make it on this map If yall are at all interested look up the video "A Brief History of Orange County, VA" The channel is History-to-go, its run by the Orange County Historical Society, its a good video

[@timesnewlogan2032]

Oh my gosh, this was one of my favorite stories growing up!

[@Trainz11]

Finally I love this story

[@adiscerningdunmer9311]

'Listen all a'yall, it's a sabotage!' I was NOT expecting a nostalgia slap in the face like that today.

[@itsquitemessy]

You guys always make my day! (...or night😅)

[@UTTPOfficerBennie]

Heard all about this growing up in Ringgold, went by the monument just about every day! Thanks for covering this story.

[@zyancuerdo1615]

A uttp thats actually civil?aint that a rarity

[@UTTPOfficerBennie]

@@zyancuerdo1615 UTTP.

[@zyancuerdo1615]

@@UTTPOfficerBennie still one that actually inst spamming is a rare I seen so many of you lot that do that and other...shady things

[@The-Man-Of-Mystery]

I Like trains

[@dsargus3]

*suddenly an ASDF movie drawn train appears, driving over @the-man-of-mystery*

[@theswedishmelker]

and a new video again! how nice!

[@theraginggager7303]

Honestly just watching this video of one confederate train conductor chasing his own train on foot, handcar, and then locomotive is so funny to watch because initially back then, no one wouldn't want to steal a train but when it's currently the Civil War going on sometimes it's better than ever to steal trains from opposing threats.

[@eee631]

Elite Beasty Boys reference

[@Spencer481]

I watched the Buster Keaton movie "The General" dozens of times when I was a kid, it's a banger, I didn't realize it was so accurate

[@ShanRenxin]

🎶So c'mon, c'mon, steal a locomotive with me!🎶 🎶C'mon baby, steal a locomotive🎶

[@yuvalgabay1023]

that one train coundactor was running on pure spite. and i can respect it

[@legohistorysam]

OK, you gotta make a video on the next train heist but this was very successful! The fighting sea bees stole a train in the Korean War and took it back to South Korea. It’s an amazing story. I would love for you guys to make a video on it!

[@megnerd8954]

I LOVED playing this song in band!

[@daniel_sannguyen]

What a coincidence, I’m in Resaca preparing for our annual Civil War reenactment here, and will soon be heading home to Atlanta along the exact route 😂

[@joshbreck3489]

Great story! I loved it. Note (Not trying to be annoying): The raiders only gave up when the General ran out of water because they never had time to refuel their engine.

[@Missingcouchproductions]

I have been waiting for this

[@analoren4745]

Would love to see a huge multi-part series on the US Civil War from y'all.

[@Screeeeeeeeeeeeee]

Bro I’ve never been more excited to see a video, I remember taking a field trip of the museum of this event as a kid cause it was so close

[@maddmaddox1648]

In my town theres a memorial to where the chase ended. Ive even pointed tourists from as far away as england to view it. I pass by it every day on the way to work. Its in Ringgold Ga

[@YJRail]

I'm thoroughly impressed you managed to pronounce Chattanooga correctly, well done! One note though, Andrews raiders actually stopped about two miles north of Ringgold when the General ran out of water, there's a marker off Ooltewah-Ringgold Road that tells the tale while giving a rough estimation of where the loco stopped.

[@mastermavrick]

Ah a wacky heist plot, and wow Bestie Boys reference ( I wonder how many that flew past).

[@callievaughn9955]

As much as I enjoyed the story-and please keep up the good work-my favorite part of the video has to be the intro when you and the others beatboxed using train noises. That was a great start to the story and the video.

[@Harakatheboye]

Ah, i LOVE civil war stories! Please do more!

[@insgrosky9861]

There you are, watching a recommended video, then all of a sudden, you remember where you know these guys from.

[@ronglenn919]

This is my favorite channel by far.

[@kadenrobinson7067]

The fact that the General and the Texas is still around today is unbelievable

[@kadenrobinson7067]

Here's some more info about the general The locomotive was restored in the 1960s for the anniversary of the great locomotive chase footage of it can be found on KZbin

[@AlcoLoco251]

Nice to see that you released this on National Train Day!

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

It’s like that Speed movie but on a train.

[@toreshitsuki2838]

0:45 best intro ever 😎👍🏾🔥