Confederate Train & the Medal of Honor | History Traveler Episode 94 

If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out. Click here: ru-vid.com Thanks!

Being from Georgia. I can confirm that the big chicken is used for directions....

Imagine, apart from the cut and dried historical facts, the stories that The General could tell? Unfortunately, when it comes to history, artifacts, statues and the like, someone will always be offended, more so now. Facts cannot be changed and facts should not be cherry picked. History can be beautiful or ugly and we have hindsight that those who lived then did not, so we should not use what we know today or use the values of today to judge those of the past.

I cant believe in what mint condition that train is, on this day! Amazing! Thats the pure work of people who love history. 🙏

This museum is actually in Kennesaw, not Marietta. When I was little, we would visit Chattanooga and the General was on display at the L and N train station there. When the Civil War Centennial was held from 1961 thru 1965, the General was totally restored and toured the country under its own steam. They had to change the width of the wheels to accommodate modern train tracks. I was in high school when it came thru my hometown. We have old 8mm home movies of that event. Everyone in town turned out to see it. After the Centennial, it was retired and placed in this museum at Kennesaw. The Texas was the train engine that the Confederates used to chase and eventually capture the General. ThevTexas was recently restored and is currently on display at the Atlanta History Center. They tried to get it to display alongside the General but Atlanta wouldn't give it up. Maybe someday they can be reunited. We haven't been to see the General in several years, but after seeing your video I want to go to the museum and see it again. Really enjoyed your tour of the museum. Thanks for your videos that you have done on this area that has so much Civil War history. 😊😊😊

I'm glad you showed the statues. They arent really in public so to speak..one has to choose to enter if you will. They are exactly where they should be in my opinion. Speaking of which, one of the things I love most about your channel is your lack of bias. While your passion is clear, you dont get in the way of presenting what happened. Thank you for that and for taking us on your adventures and teaching us along the way.

The CSA Civil War display looks interesting, excellent ! I have since nice a child and yet today enjoy the CSA side of the War ! Uniforms, weapons and battler sites, museums ! The HO Scale train displays was neat !

best channel on you tube . you are doing what i always wanted to do. thank you for the content. plan to watch them all

KFC was a real eye catcher, very unique LOL. Being a Sanders, {not related} I get, "are you related"? all the time HA! Yes my Grandfather was born in Kentucky. Really enjoyed this tour, many things of interest. The patterns made for molds is fantastic, it's amazing how they did this, not an everyday thing you would even think of. You did good thanks.

And yet another reason these videos could be an hour in length. Love em

Wow! The General. I was a boy when Disney did the Great Locomotive Chase with Fess Parker as Andrews. The early silent film "The General" is a good movie too. Thanks for this.

Wow, wonderful conservation. Like the way you tippy toed through the sensitive issues, not going to get political, but, our history is like a puzzle and if pieces are omitted the puzzle isn't complete. Nice that they looked at the time through the different perspectives. Good tour. Thank you for the short escape today. Be safe and take care.

reguardless of opinion , it is history.let us remember that without history,history repeats itself.

I respectfully offer my opinion regarding these moments in history. If not marked and remembered, then humanity will forget the lessons to be learn from history. Thank you for sharing historic adventures 👍 🇺🇸

That is definitely on my top list of neatest museums I have ever seen. To stand there and actually have General in front of you is almost breathtaking to know how much of vital piece of history it is. Awesome video!!

Absolutely loved seeing the “General” my grandfather was an engineer for Southern Pacific early in the 1900’s but unfortunately he died before I was born and way too soon - he was in his ‘40’s and died of pneumonia. His route(s) were in south central Texas mostly. I love history, mainly WWII cause I was born in 1943, “smack dab in the middle of the war.” I had a couple of friends who were like my extra sisters who taught school on army bases in Germany for about 15 years each and I would go visit in the ‘80’s and we would travel around Europe. My favorite countries are Austria, Germany, and Switzerland primarily. Love your videos. My husband and I will be married 60 years on Veteran’s Day this year and he finally was able to make the trip over with me in 2011 where we rented a car for a month and drove - wonderful trip of a lifetime. Keep up your great enthusiasm and speaking voice!

Awesome depiction of history again :)! Thanks for taking us along

Johnston is on foot while Lee is on a horse.Lee always got the good stuff.

That one train. Is like My holy grail to the civil war and railroading history

My 6 year old history lover is obsessed with your channel. Thanks so much for doing this, you’re showing him so many things he may not get to see for years and years otherwise.

We love watching your historical videos. They are always interesting and informative. I am a civil war buff even though I am a Canadian. Some of my ancestors served on the union side but that was when our borders were open. My father and mother took me and my sisters to Gettysburg in the summer of 1966. I took my wife back there July 3,2013 on the 150th anniversary of the battle. We were in the house where Jenny Wade was fatally shot and went down into the cellar exactly 150 years to the day went she was wrapped and laid down. It was a very awesome experience that brought history to life. Your videos do the same....thanks so much!

That was absolutely fascinating! I love your videos, and I always learn from you.I really appreciate all of your excellent content!

Its called "The Big Chicken" by us locals and is used as a landmark for giving driving instructions to travelers by the locals. The old one was replaced a few years back when they redesigned the restaurant and we all love it.

Good job. I have visited many battlefields and looked at many statues of prominent civil war participants from both armies. I have perused many many pictures of soldiers, some posed for family keepsakes, some for use on a carte de visite and of course as a historical record of battlefield casualties. All very moving. A cultural observation struck me one day years ago and it has consistently proven true including being reinforced by this video. There was virtually NO obesity problem in the armies of the 1860's. Lots of walking, lots of digging, and rations of questionable nutritional value by today's standards made for a thin soldier. Even pictures of generals in camp who led comparative lives of leisure (rode everywhere, officer's mess, beds to sleep in etc.) all save for a few had flat bellies. Just a thought. Keep up the good work.... And I challenge you in your travels to find a statue of a fat general! LOL

I had no idea the General was still around! When I saw her, I actually said "Wow!" That is the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Thank you SO MUCH! -- BTW, if you ever get the time, watch Buster Keaton's The General. His best silent movie in my opinion. It's a very good watch. Funny and entertaining! His stunts are incredible!

That was an awesome video! That train engine is beautiful!!

Outstanding....So much Civil War history ....Great vlog...Thanks....

Thrilled you're touring this whole area. Your videos and research are appreciated and valuable to our community! Thank you!

I am a retired band director, and one of the students favorite pieces to perform was "The Great Locomotive Chase", based on this story. It was a wonderful way to introduce students to this bit of history. Thanks so much for your video. It brought back a lot of good memories of teaching music and history together to the next generation. Keep up the great work!

Stumbled on your videos today, Cant stop watching them massive thumbs up.

Awesome!!!! When you entered the room with the General in I said WOW!! It's fantastic that they have that there. Makes me want to make a trip to Georgia.

Luckiest day in a long time that I happened to stumble upon your channel!! So enjoyable. I especially like all the artifacts. Thank you for your time and patience doing these vids for us!!!!

Amazing history here and great to see this after the grave site The train was amazing Thankyou

Thank you for what you do.I enjoy the history.

I am definitely going to make a trip to visit that museum. I first learned of the raid and the train chase was in high school in the 60's but had forgotten all about it. Thanks for jogging my memory. I seem to recall the leader of the raid was not awarded the MOH because he was a civilian. Thanks for another great video.

I see the statues as markers of history. We need history!

Wow that was amazing what great museums there are in Georgia I never knew was there. I would love to see that train. I have to go down to Georgia to see all these places. How amazing thank you for showing us

Martin J. Hawkins is one of the raiders. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery here in my home town. To see the very train he help steal and rode on is amazing. Stripping the mementos of our presence demeans all those of the past, and what they did. Sad.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with thos of of us that can't do what you do. I love living this through you.

Going back on the channel to binge watch…I love that the General is on display here! I have Pitinger’s diary. One of Andrew’s Raiders who lived!

Love the video. My great grandfather is William Bensinger when I was a young boy my mother and father took me down to see the General. What a great experience just wish I was a little older so I could really understand what I was seeing. Thank you for your video

Thank you for a very informative and interesting article on the General and the Raiders ! Take care , stay safe and healthy wherever your research or adventure takes you ! Doing well here in Kansas .

Cool video and the General was amazing! I've always been fascinated how heavy objects were manufactured and moved around in the 1800s. Here in CO there's still a fair amount of really heavy mining equipment from the 1880s+ in the middle of nowhere - such as big boilers and stamp mills. It's incredible. Thanks for another great pice of art JD.

outstanding wow that train bigger than I thought thanks for today stay safe and take care.

Great video ! The General is awesome looking ! Great Job 👍

What a great museum. Love the General!!💕.

Wonderful video, thank you

History tells us where we came from to get where we are today and a guide in where to continue in the future with the knowledge not to repeat many of the mistakes we have been through. I have subscribed to your history videos a few months ago. I thoroughly enjoy them learning much I didn't know.

Thank you for this video ! I am John Robert Pittenger , the Great Great Nephew of William Pittenger of Andrews Raiders . He wrote the book “ Daring and Suffering “ that the 1956 Walt Disney Movie about the raid was based on .

Totally awesome, thank you

Another great video! The fact that these items are still here is fascinating. I get to travel all over the place and never have to leave home.🤣😂 Thanks, JD!

Sunday I drove through a small town called Apple Creek Ohio and they have a monument there dedicated to William Knight. Love how history comes around full circle!

I’ve been going there sense I was a little girl about 45 years. Back when this museum was the general train and a video only. Many great memories of my grandfather he loved the General he came from a long line of engineers from Georgia. Thanks for the memories.

The general is a beautiful train !! We have a print of Andrew's Raiders and the General. What a great museum 👌

History needs to be remembered no matter what the history may be. Most of the truthful history is horrific no matter how you look at it. If you don't remember the mistakes in the past from history, you will keep repeating the same mistakes your predecessors did before you.

My son and I visited this museum and completed the "Andrews Raiders" tour in 2014. We had a blast! Great job, JD...

Just showed this to my wife. Like you, I'm a huge Civil War nut...but my kids are in love with Trains. This is going to make for a great destination!

I live just up the way in Chattanooga and our history in linked to Marietta by Andrew's Raiders, as you mentioned. I love seeing people visiting Marietta and send people down there to get more information all the time. They have the original general, and Chattanooga has a replica. Interestingly, Ringgold is very walkable to the downtown Chattanooga area. They were *so close.*

Yes, that's called "The Big Chicken," and it is a major landmark in the Atlanta area. It's actually in Marietta, and is used to give directions to people, all the time, i.e. "We're one mile north of the "Big Chicken." Glad you toured this museum. It's the "Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History." I would have included the full name in your title. The Glover Machine works shut down and for many decades the old building never used again. When they went to check it out, they found all these molds and machinery left behind from ages ago and transferred some of them to the museum. When they updated and expanded the museum, it tripled in size, partly to accommodate the stuff from Glover. Statues are fine in Museums. NO ONE should be opposed to it. It's part of our history and should not be forgotten. Now, taking them down from display the middle of cities is fine, but don't tear them down and destroy them. Again, it's part of history. You know the old saying: "Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it."

This was so good.

Absolutely beautiful

Very cool to see The General!

That KFC is the Funniest & Craziest thing I've ever seen 😂

Seeing that train must have been awesome! The actual locomotive involved in one of the most thrilling events in all of US history!

Amazing that it survives. The story of how it was saved all these years would be interesting I am sure. Thanks for showing as much of the museum as you did. I think the statues are in a appropriate venue. I like the fact that they show both Union and Confederates.

Can't believe The General locomotive still exists - let alone looking so good! I have to get back to Marietta in '23!

I am so happy that your subscriber count keeps going up. You are doing awesome work and I am so happy to be a supporter. Awesome videos.

I had just said to my daughter I needed my JD history fix and there you are...lol Seeing The General was awesome!!! Another fantastic video 😎

Loved this 👍🏻😎

Great episode and wonderful museum! Just a thought about a good trip one day maybe fort Sumter and the H.L. Hunley Museum. Keep up the great work buddy.

Oh, man! I'd like to see that museum and just explore that area! The General, what an awesome artifact! The Medal of Honor! Wow! If you ever get a chance watch the Buster Keaton movie "The General" it is a funny and fanciful telling of the incident. Thank you for the journey! Another great job!

Hope you had time to include the Atlanta Historical Society museum on your trip. The Texas is displayed there and it is a very impressive museum.

I really really like your videos of history. I like your presentation and the music that you choose. If I could afford to become a patron I would. Thank you 😊😊

I used to have an old record that had sound recordings of the steam pump, bell and whistle of the General during its 1960's restoration. During the locomotives restoration it was converted over to burn fuel oil instead of wood. A display of wood was placed on the locomotives tender to cover up the oil bunker. There have been a couple of movie remakes of the great locomotive chase one of the better ones was produced by Walt Disney and featured a similar locomotive to the General called the William Mason from the B7O roundhouse museum in Baltimore Md.

The big chicken! Directions are given in that area by locals according to the big chicken. "Turn left just past the big chicken."

What an amazing museum!

I would suggest a visit to Cold Harbor battlefield in north Richmond. its haunting... my greatx3 grandfather died there.

When I first saw this video title I figured this was in regards to Andrews Raiders. Very cool... Most never heard of this story and the first Medals of honor came out of it. Another cool fact.. I’m pretty sure 19 servicemen have won it twice... crazy.

Wow what a great video

I was there at that museum in September saw the general it was cool to see

It's a part of history ! People need to get over what happened and try to learn from it so that we don't repeat it again !

Just brilliant! The Andrews Raid (what one author describes as 'a footnote on the pages of history') was the first story of the US Civil War that I ever learnt, and I've loved it ever since. As she stands today, I doubt little of the original 'General' remains bar the name plates - apart from damage during the burning of Atlanta, she was rebuilt several times during her active career - the same is true of most preserved steam locomotives in fact. None the less, she's still beautiful. Being slightly pedantic - the General, the Texas and their brethren are not 'trains', they are locomotives. The train is the rolling stock which runs behind them. That apart - brilliant, a real treat!

I used to live about an hour from Kennesaw. I've been atop Kennesaw Mountain a number of times. I've also been to Cheatam Hill, which isn't to be missed if you're a Civil War nerd or just like being in the woods. I'm both. You think Murrieta is hot? Try Macon. Worse yet, try Valdosta or Savannah. Savannah also has bugs. LOTS of bugs. GA is still a beautiful state and well worth a visit.

My maternal grandfather was Harold Wollam, WW I & WW II Navy submariner and a grandson or great grandson of Pvt. John Wollam,, Ohio Infantry, one of the recipients of the M of H. John Wollam is also listed at the US Army Infantry Museum, at Ft Benning, Ga, in the Medal of Honor recipients section. I was able to visit there 3 years ago. US Army Viet Nam medic, ‘69-‘70

So cool bud .jamie 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍

I meant to mention that the Atlanta History Center on West Paces Ferry Rd has a ton of history of the Civil War to current society.

I love all the statues

I've been enjoying you're trip through Georgia I'm from Cobb County lot of civ history you should visit wildmans across from the general he has a lot of stuff in there

Totally awesome video.History good and bad is still our history.Getting rid of statues doesn't change a thing.Literally stupid cancelling a t.v. show.It seems we have more to worry about than trying to change history.Thank you for the great adventure.☺💟👍🇺🇸

Welcome to my hometown! And yes we give directions using the Big Chicken 😂

I can’t believe you found the great Demon Chicken of GA....We actually use that as a land mark to give directions....I lived there for years

Yes, that was absolutely cool💪🏻🇺🇸👍🏻

Nice!

Verre interesting stuff there. But no daisy dukes on display??? 😁😁😁 on to the next place jd. Keep em coming

Before everyone had a GPS they used the Big Chicken as the main landmark for directions. I grew up in Kennesaw but my Uncle's restaurant was just off the Marietta Square across the street from the Court House

Andrews Raiders? I learnd all about this as a kid. My Late father and I collected Lionel/O scale trains. My love of history comes from Rail Roads

Contrary to popular belief, the Un Civil War was NOT fought over slavery. "The War of Northern Agression." Just found your channel, good coverage here Sir.

The General is very impressive!!

The General is actually in the museum in Kennesaw Georgia just north of Marietta at the area that was known as Big Shanty. The Texas Locomotive which chased the General was for many years in Atlanta's Grant Park in what was the Cyclorama which showed part of the battle of Atlanta in a diorama set in a circular room where you would be placed in the middle of the battle revolving around the painting while a person presenting the history of the Battle of Atlanta was pointing out certin parts of the diorama. The Texas locomotive was more in the basement of the two or three story building. Over the past 40 or so years the city didn't push the presence of the Cyclorama and the items inside of the building were getting into disrepair. Around five or six years ago, the city had plans to change the building for another use. The Atlanta History Center in Buckhead, another part of Atlanta, raised enough money to have the painting removed and repaired. Actually, part of the circular painting was removed so it could fit inside of the Cyclorama and upon relocating it to The History Center it was added back to the painting making it whole again. The Texas Locomotive was also removed and while they were constructing the addition to feature the painting and locomotive, it was gone over and put back in the shape it once was. So now the two locomotives are within about 40 miles of each other to tell of the history of the great event they are known for. Union Station in Chattanooga became the General’s permanent home in 1911 though still owned by the Western and Atlantic railroad. As a concession for a new lease for use of the W&A rail line, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad agreed to return the General to Georgia, but the city of Chattanooga filed suit against its loss. The matter went to the Sixth Federal District Court of Appeals, which ruled that the L&N could do whatever it wished. Chattanooga’s attempt to have that decision reversed failed when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. In February of 1972 the General was moved back to Georgia and placed in the Big Shanty museum.

I live right by that museum.