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

[@extrahistory]

Watch Hypatia of Alexandria on Nebula RIGHT NOW: bit.ly/EHHypatiaofAlexandria OR Check out "Modern Conflicts: 2023 Ukraine Counteroffensive" here: bit.ly/2023Counteroffensive and "Rise & Fall of Led Zeppelin" here: bit.ly/LedZeppelinNebula Thanks for Watching!

[@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!

[@MaximusHeng]

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]

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[@93MANIAC]

To be honest they did also get five stars

[@mosesmm5473]

Fuller is the ancestor to the security guard from Subway Surfers

[@madisons2117]

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

[@ChrisKetcherside]

Fuller had been training for this his whole lofe

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

Fuller is literally my great-great-grandfather. Sadly, I’m no subway surfer.

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

@@MilkUnderTheDam lies you are THE subway surfer

[@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]

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[@yuvalgabay1023]

running one 100% spite

[@Old_Glory]

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

[@natheriver8910]

True😅😅😅

[@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]

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[@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.

[@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.

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

@@madisons2117- I’m a direct descendant of Captain Fuller. I still have a lot of his papers. He was recognized by the State of Georgia with their own medal. Later he even did a speaking circuit with some of the surviving raiders. While I cannot endorse his probable sympathies I do admire his sense of determination.

[@madisons2117]

@@MilkUnderTheDam thats awesome! I am glad to hear that he got his recognition!

[@CarrionCrow993]

​@@MilkUnderTheDamwe can all respect his work ethic regardless of who he would vote for.

[@justkev6277]

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

[@ChrisKetcherside]

Where did he even get them from?

[@vietnamesesmerf508]

@@ChrisKetchersideout of his inventory

[@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

[@NerrawGnap]

@@thomashambly3718 it was mentioned at the end of the video.

[@jokodihaynes419]

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

[@ChristianDall-p2j]

I scream, you scream, we all scream icecream!

[@4362mont]

By a tiny chicken hawk?

[@EEEEEEEE]

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[@Marjax]

Activate T9000 run!

[@train_lover_2004]

victor tanzig reference

[@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.

[@pointly]

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

[@mccoachrailwayproductions8958]

Too bad the series has been concluded, because now I'd love for Billy Yank and Johnny Reb to talk about that raid xD

[@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.

[@Sirmatthaeus]

Lesson learned. NEVER STEAL FULLER'S TRAIN!

[@HipHop-op3hq]

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

[@maxfieldjoyner5244]

The parody of the Inglorious Basterds speech got me. Flawless

[@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*

[@EngieTheRiolu]

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

[@Ran_out_of_ideas]

Fuller has that indomitable human spirit in him

[@matthewmerchant2038]

William "Not On My Watch" Fuller

[@spindash64]

GTA Star system

[@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

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I believe MacArthur got his first Medal of Honor stealing a train in Veracruz as well

[@shaunonlyplaysyt9879]

‘It’s those damn Seabees again!’ - unnamed US general in Korea

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

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

[@isaiahwilliams2642]

While Buster Keaton's "The General" is undoubtedly a classic, the 1956 Disney film, "The Great Locomotive Chase," is a more accurate (if less artistic) retelling of the events. They used 3 steam locomotives for the film. The 'General' was portrayed by Baltimore and Ohio #25, the 'William Mason,' which was actually older than the 'General' by one year. Most of the other locomotives, including the 'Texas' were portrayed by Virginia and Truckee #22, the 'Inyo,' a passenger locomotive originally from the Comstock region that I have a personal connection to as she was the icon of the Nevada State Railroad Museum as I grew up in that area. I credit the moment I learned she was in the movie as the beginning of my love for film.

[@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.

[@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

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

@@kadenrobinson7067- My family was there for that in person. I still remember stories about it.

[@karatejoe6332]

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

[@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.

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

Very true! Not many people know that detail. This story is part of my family history so I kind of feel out when it gets mentioned in public.

[@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!

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

I was so excited to see this video show up in my feed today. Fuller is my great-great grandfather. I still have some of his papers but most went to the Atlanta History Center in 1970. Would love see any local or regional history you’ve been working on or can recommend.

[@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

[@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.

[@brokenbridge6316]

I saw a movie about this train heist. One that Disney made in the 60's. It was an awesome watch for me when I was a kid. I still have fond memories of watching this movie.

[@Voucher765]

1950s actually late in the decade, One of the locomotives used was B&O no 25 which has a name William Mason and it was used to be fired up at the B&O museum until it's boiler flues expired

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@Voucher765---Oh really. Didn't know that.

[@Voucher765]

@brokenbridge6316 Yup and it also ran with St Elizabeth no 4 a 0-4-0 saddle tank that was built in the 50s

[@rileyh520]

When I saw this video I had to watch it. The Locomotive Chase went right thru my home town and we have a festival every year for it

[@Lazytarian]

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.

[@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.

[@TheBlackSheepsBlackSheep]

Had i been a member of the crew... i would've given my medal to Fuller. Talk about doing your job boy ol boy lol

[@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?

[@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.

[@adampeirce5764]

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

[@sourwinee]

WILLIAM FULLER HAS UPGRADED!

[@WulfieZi]

Look at Fuller, becoming the first superconductor back in 1862. It would take the rest of the world another 50 years to rediscover this tech.

[@Windona]

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

[@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.

[@elusivedesert8530]

4:52 its like that dang clip from teen titans go where batman gets blown up, and continues following in something new and more ridiculous

[@justindieterich1773]

And now two more of their number have been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

[@motivationaiz]

Man, fuller is determined😂😂😂

[@nulolove]

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

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

This or "LEROOYYYJENKINSS"

[@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.

[@ThePianistDragon]

I used to watch the Disney depiction of this event on DVD when I was kid. Had no idea what was going on, but it had trains in it so…

[@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.

[@johnaucamp7106]

Yeah, I know. Fuller was an enemy but they should have awarded him a medal too.

[@stvdagger8074]

In 1950, the state of Georgia commissioned a special gold medal in honor of Fuller's work during the Great Locomotive Chase. It was presented to his son, William Alford Fuller

[@TzarTsar]

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

[@TzarTsar]

@@zyancuerdo1615 UTTP.

[@zyancuerdo1615]

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

[@allenzhou3051]

4:46 what? Fuller is evolving! 4:53 what? Fuller is evolving! 5:42 what? Fuller is evolving!

[@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.

[@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.

[@smintner]

The last two just got the Medal of Honor

[@jethrosiahaan]

i loved that tarantino reference!

[@bmdragon]

Missouri, Kentucky, and West Virginia did not secede from the union 1:55

[@bmdragon]

And again at 7:05

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

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

[@Voucher765]

One of the locomotives used was B&O no 25 aka the William Mason, It's now on display at the B&O museum and was used to be fired up for events at the museum grounds and also was in the Will Smith movie Wild Wild West

[@timesnewlogan2032]

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

[@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

[@masonwoodard3400]

As someone from Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) that grew up listening to this story- it’s nice hearing a telling of it without a Confederate bias from one of my favorite channels!

[@LCCWPresents]

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

[@jordanelshoff]

One of the raiders, Corporal William Henry Harrison Reddick was the 6th man to recieve the MoH and is buried close to my hometown in Iowa

[@93MANIAC]

This really needs to be a mission in the next Red Dead Redemption sequel

[@LexiLunarpaw]

Yay! Its Time for the Greatest Show is Back!

[@eccentric_traveler]

If you all want to learn more, I recommend the book 'Stealing the General' by Russel S. Bonds. It covers the even in great detail, and prisoner escapes, and what happens to the feature players after the war.

[@Player-px1jq]

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

[@LoralCrowned]

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

[@ECTON814]

Samuel slavens was one of the medal of Honor recipients and my uncle

[@marcor7044]

The way my brain started playing Thomas and Friends chase music when they stole the train at the start...

[@f1reman237]

Theres acctually a famous song written about this chase which you should listen to.

[@aidencatalano9688]

I love how this could be a Tarantino movie

[@fuwa7860]

You guys should do a 5-6 episode serious on the invasion of Afghanistan. From the 1977 coup to the withdrawal of Soviet soldiers in 1989.

[@keegandecker4080]

The president absolutely watches this show because the two civvies just got their medal

[@amyreynolds3619]

I was one of the volunteer who help restored the Texas which is a 4-4-0. The locomotive can't run again due to the boiler is not safe to run.

[@jmkbartsch]

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

[@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!

[@analoren4745]

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

[@Techno963]

I really hope Fuller shows up randomly running in the background in future episodes

[@edwardcarlisle5580]

As for the movies, The General by Buster Keaton is a great piece of entertainment, but The Great Locomotive Chase by Walt Disney is a much better film. It incredibly shows the events before, during, and after the chase almost 100% accurately, with only a few small liberties. It's an underrated gem of motion picture production.

[@marknystrom1984]

You know, Fuller Chasing the train reminds me of another KZbin channel i watch, called "history in the dark". He has a running gag of the railway president Alfred e Pearlman, Who was the president of new york central railroad (and the man responsible for there being a lack of preserved steam locomotives from that railroad), Anytime he shows up in a video, The first thing on his mind is Destroying any steam engine He can get his hands on, often screaming "I WANT THAT STEAM ENGINE!!" Of course unlike pearlman, Fuller is trying to save it steam engine, It's not tear it apart with a chain Saw.

[@andrewklang809]

"You, all twenty of you, each owe me one hundred Confederate locomotives." "Sir, I'm pretty sure the South doesn't have that many." "Then this isn't going to work out very well for us."

[@philipsullivan4885]

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

[@Stormynormy42]

The museum that The General is in is in Kennesaw, GA. Pretty cool place, highly recommend if you're ever in the area, went there quite a few times growing up and have taken a few friends there over the years as an adult. There's also a Klan museum around the corner, which I find to be historically important if not the most "professionally" done, and would recommend discretion on whether to go or not, as some of the stuff there can be quite jarring for anyone not prepared for the things there or the people you're likely to interact with while there.

[@ikebeckman1074]

2:25 nice basterds reference lmao

[@fellipepessoa1685]

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

[@haingo36]

Even Matt's casual southern accent is till better than Hollywood actors these days :D

[@diegoandrade467]

I appreciate an Inglorious Basterds reference in my History

[@scottanos9981]

0:30 *Free Bird starts playing

[@Seltyk]

I've been waiting for an episode about this!

[@Jager_and_his_88_Mafia]

The skit from the bastards was amazing I love the way you played it out

[@jesurenbnb]

Fun fact; fueller acutally became friends with one of the raiders after the war no i am not kidding!

[@LostSoulz417]

Just watched "The General" And boy was I surprised at how well it holds up, 97 y/o and still going strong. Definitely gonna watch it again on 5 feb 2027 for the 100 year anniversary

[@CCJJ160Channels]

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

[@gabrielarambula4465]

Fun fact: back in the 1960s, the General locomotive was actually fired up to pull some excursion trains during the 100th anniversary of the Great Locomotive Chase

[@lupusetmatrem7078]

Mad respect to fuller for never giving up

[@A-oq8ne]

Finally you did this story!

[@readingking1421]

All tge respect to the raiders for almost pulling this off. Equal respect for Fuller for sheer tenacity.

[@willowwright4638]

nah, no respect for confederates.

[@MilkUnderTheDam]

Truth.