To officially kick-off the 2025 Medal of Honor Celebration in Chattanooga, the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, in partnership with CSX, will bring history to life with the first ever immersive reenactment of The Great Locomotive Chase on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.  This once-in-a-lifetime event–which is sponsored by the Gary W. Rollins Foundation–will have nearly 20 Medal of Honor Recipients and other invited guests on a special CSX train as they travel on the famed Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) line from Atlanta to Chattanooga to attend the 2025 Medal of Honor Celebration.

In partnership with the Atlanta History Center, the Southern Museum and the City of Ringgold, Georgia, the 2025 Medal of Honor Celebration is honored to host this immersive, living-history experience that will retrace the daring path of the Andrews’ Raid, more popularly known as the Great Locomotive Chase. On April 12, 1862, civilian scout James J. Andrews, along with one civilian accomplice and 22 Union volunteers from three Ohio infantry regiments, masqueraded in civilian attire to covertly board a train–the General–at Marietta, Georgia. Their mission: seize the locomotive the General near Big Shanty (present-day Kennesaw), then steam north toward Chattanooga, systematically sabotaging railroad tracks, bridges and telegraph lines to disrupt Confederate supply routes.

The Great Locomotive Chase is more than a Civil War story – it’s a defining moment in American military history and established Chattanooga as the Birthplace of the Medal of Honor.  The audacious raid, spanning roughly 87 miles over seven hours, evoked an epic chase. Pursued relentlessly by Confederate conductor William Fuller—who switched between several chasing locomotives including the Texas, which is now located at the Atlanta History Center. The Raiders’ plans unraveled when the General – which is now located at the Southern Museum – ran out of steam just outside of Chattanooga near Ringgold, Georgia. The men scattered but were eventually captured. Eight of the captured participants—including James J. Andrews and seven others—were tried as spies and executed in Atlanta and later reinterned in Chattanooga at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The rest endured imprisonment: some escaped, while others were later released in a prisoner exchange.

Despite its tactical failure, the raid left an enduring legacy: six of the raiders received the very first Medals of Honor on March 25, 1863, and over time, 21 of the 24 participants would be awarded the Medal of Honor—including two (Privates Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson) who were posthumously recognized on July 3, 2024 by President Joe Biden.

The Great Locomotive Chase Reenactment – September 30, 2025

This historic event will be recreated with an opening breakfast at the Atlanta History Center, where Medal of Honor Recipients, community, and civic leaders will learn more about the Great Locomotive Chase before heading to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History for a lunch program.

The Medal of Honor Recipients and invited guests will then board the CSX train for the re-enactment journey. The event will conclude with a brief reception at the Historic Ringgold Depot Center.

The public is invited to wave the train along its route from Kennesaw to Ringgold.

-via Press Release