South Carolina community gets into the game by helping to save Civil War home in Union, see that unbeaten streak of all-black high school is recognized

The Dawkins House exterior, interior (Preservation SC) and a news clipping on Sims High streak

After 40-plus years working in Charlotte, N.C., and Southern California, Bill Comer returned to his native South Carolina in June 2020, ready to lend passion and his services to causes that mattered to him and his hometown.

He helped lobby for the all-black Sims High School of Union to receive its due: Last year, the South Carolina High School League recognized the football squad’s 96-game unbeaten streak from 1946-1954 as the longest in state history. 

Comer, 69, a retired health care and finance executive, decided to get off the sidelines for a second endeavor in Union, a community between Spartanburg and Columbia.

Preservation South Carolina, working with state and local partners, is trying to save and restore the Dawkins House, which briefly served as the Confederate state’s capitol during the waning weeks of the Civil War. 

A view of the home's beauty and restoration challenges (Preservation South Carolina)

The deteriorated property was up for a 2023 property tax sale, and Comer thought of buying the site and fixing it up. “I just wanted to save it.” Instead, Preservation South Carolina bought the home and Comer, a board member and treasurer with the group, is project manager for the restoration.

His credo of “I’m always up for a challenge” and getting involved proved beneficial when observers lamented the appearance of the Dawkins House, which has been vacant for many years. 

“I heard so many people say they, ‘They should have done this. They should have done that.’ I don’t see any ’they’ around here,” said Comer, summarizing the attitude of many in this small community to get things done -- whether cementing the record of a football team or saving a building from further decay. (Sims High School closed many years ago. More about that campaign later in this post)

The Dawkins House is destined to become the alumni center for the University of South Carolina Union, a small campus in the heart of the city.

Officials hope the venue will provide an economic boost for Union and Union County, which is home to 27,000 people. About 21% of residents are in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. The median household income lags well below the state average.

The project comes at an opportune time for the campus (right), with enrollment reaching a record 1,378 students this spring. That upward trend will equate to more students, thus more alumni.

Annie Smith, USC Union marketing and development director, said an alumni association is being established to enhance recruiting efforts, develop a community between current, former and future students, and to provide outside funding and resources.

The Dawkins House will aid that effort as a space for campus, corporate and community events, she said.

“Bringing USCU alumni back to functions at the Dawkins House Alumni Center will not only benefit USCU but will serve as an economic engine for the city and county of Union bringing alumni dollars back to Union for visits and potential employment with local companies,” according to Preservation South Carolina.

'There is a lot of energy ... and optimism'

Comer travels about 70 miles once a week from Lexington, S.C., where he lives, to his hometown Union.

“Whenever you go to your hometown, you like to visit places that meant something,” Comer recently told the Picket. “Several (textile) mills have since disappeared. Most importantly, the high school I went to burned.” The gym is the local YMCA and one classroom remains. “You start to miss those things. Part of your heritage is gone.”

The home had additions built on in the 19th century (Preservation South Carolina)

So he wants something positive to happen with the Dawkins House.

Preservation South Carolina has about $300,000 in the bank and that will be eaten up just stabilizing the structure. Comer expects the overall project cost to reach up to $1.5 million, with the goal of opening in 2027.

People in the community say the Dawkins House is an important landmark. “It anchors one end of Main Street and the courthouse anchors the other end,” said Comer.

Union County has a rich black history and has seen reconciliation after decades of racial violence during and following the Civil War. The board member believes the community is all in for restoring the home. 

Local government officials and economic bright spots are encouraging. “There is a lot of energy and a lot of optimism," said Comer.

The city of Union and Union County thus far have provided about $10,000 in funding for an engineering and stabilization study.

“Union County stands ready to discuss and participate as deemed by the majority of council,” county Supervisor Phillip Russell said. “It is an important piece of history in Union County and we are happy to see all of the support to rehabilitate this house.”

Burning documents in the fireplaces

The Dawkins House is best known for several weeks in the spring of 1865. It was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Thomas Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins (right, Union County Historical Society).

Gov. Andrew Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until sometime in March or April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House as Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman sacked Columbia and moved on other cities, bent on destruction and submission of Rebel troops. Magrath apparently worked from an informal library near the drawing room. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

Nearly 160 years later, the two-story clapboard structure is in pretty rough shape and in need of a rescue.

Andrew Kettler, an assistant professor of history at the Union campus, has amassed a lot of research about the town’s history and Judge Dawkins, a prominent political figure who came from a wealthy family. While a unionist before South Carolina seceded, the judge came to support the Confederacy.

One of several remaining fireplaces in the home (Preservation South Carolina)

According to histories and local legend, Magrath and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the home’s fireplaces. (The building served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly is capital.)

Confederates burned documents for myriad reasons, Kettler said. 

“Generally, burning would be to avoid military secrets getting into the enemies hands,” the professor said. “But, at the late stages of the war, such secrets may have become secondary as Confederates may have also wanted to hide evidence of the original treason of the Confederacy in the first place, and any other actions that could have led to prosecutions and trials after the war.”

Quick! Hide the silver, and the documents

A few years before her death in 1906, Mary P. Dawkins wrote her recollections of England and life in Union. She recalled Magrath fleeing Union (he was later captured and held in captivity for several months).

“On parting Gov. Magrath put in my keeping an old-fashioned ladies hat box and a thick …. package as large as a tea-waiter, saying, ‘This is silver, and these papers (packed in package) would hang many a man.’”

The box and package were put away in the store room for safekeeping and placed by her maid Lizzie near a chimney. (Comer said a chimney will have to be taken apart and reassembled; it is uncertain whether this is the same one.)

In 1866, the Dawkinses traveled to Charleston, where the freed and newly married Magrath was working as a lawyer.

“We reached Charleston and stopped at Mills House. After dark Mr. and Mrs. Magrath came to the Mills house. Mr. Magrath worth a large circular cloak under which he hid the package and my husband took the box from the carriage to the door. Thus the Magrath silver got home.”

Mary Dawkins' writings are featured in the book "South Carolina's English Lady," compiled and edited by Sarah Porter Carroll.

Before the Civil War, Magrath had served as a federal judge, and made a ruling that most certainly made him unpopular with the North, as an article about him states.

“Although opposed to the trade personally, Magrath nevertheless handed slave-trade proponents a signal victory in 1860. In a decision associated with the cases surrounding the Echo and the Wanderer, ships seized for illegally transporting African slaves, Magrath stated that the 1820 federal statute on piracy did not apply to the slave trade.”

Thomas Dawkins' property is listed on two pages of the 1850 schedule (click to enlarge)

The 1850 Federal slave schedule (above) indicates Thomas Dawkins of Union County owned about 30 enslaved persons. It is unclear whether they were on more than one property.

Mary wrote that a few months after hostilities ended, "our servants (were) free and sought for by (Union) soldiers.” One book says she presented a paternalistic view of slavery.

Enslaved people had become a majority in Union County during the 1840s, and the area became a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity during Reconstruction.

Group documents racial violence, backs healing

Curtiss Hunter (right), tourism director for the county and a member of the Union County Community Remembrance Project (UCCRP), which documents racial violence and lynching and promotes healing through preservation, said the restoration of the Dawkins House will boost tourism and community engagement.

Hunter said its full history should be part of its interpretation. “I believe … the story of the Dawkins House should be told as authentic as there is history to prove the content. The integrity will stand on its own merit.”

Comer said the site will provide lessons from the past.

“Those who were slaves should be identified and recognized, just as much as the Dawkins family and their prominent guests. Going forward, people of all races and religions should pass through the Dawkins House's doors and occupy its spaces, to do good without discrimination and to learn.”

Hunter’s group in 2021 put up three marker detailing racial injustices in the county. Among them was Sax(e) Joiner, who was hanged by white men just before Union fell during the Civil War. He allegedly wrote an insulting letter to a white woman and was taken from the jail by a mob.

Timika M. Wilson, co-lead of the UCCRP, said Union County residents have generally embraced its work.

Leaders of the UCCRP take part in 2021 Juneteenth celebration (Photo: UCCRP)

“We acknowledged early on that this project was about ‘History, Not Division’ and the coalition achieved that perspective with open and honest discussion of the generational trauma that has been a part of the fabric of a segregated county in SC,” Wilson told the Picket in an email. “We have come very far, but there is more work to be done.”

The UCCRP supports the Dr. Lawrence W. Long Resource Center in Union and has partnered with it to educate students about the historical markers, the center and a hospital that served the black community for more than 40 years, said Wilson.

Backers notch win for black football team

Discrimination was the law of the land when Comer grew up in Union. School desegregation finally occurred in 1970 across South Carolina, the same year Sims High School closed.

Comer played football at Union High School, including on an integrated 1971 squad.

Sims High was a middle school for many years after it closed (Tom Bosse/HMdb.org)

The former businessman got involved last year in the campaign to recognize the Sims record (92-0-4). He and local archivist and historian Mary J. Gossett pored through records and news clippings.

A 1999 article in the Contra Costa Times in Northern California talked about such unbeaten streaks and included quotes from Paul Glenn, who played on the Sims team. (The football squad did not have state recognition at the time of the 1999 interview).

''It was a grand ride and it helped make men out of us,'' Glenn told the newspaper. ''We knew the whole county was pulling for us and we owed it to the whole county to try and win our games. It will die with all of us,'' he said of the streak.

Comer told the Union County News that the South Carolina high school association lost or did not receive records after desegregation. The Sims streak could not be validated without additional research.

Romanda Noble-Watson, director of communications with the South Carolina High School League, told the Picket she did not have any information about the records.

As Comer pointed out at the November 2023 meeting of the South Carolina High School League, the Sims streak has been recognized nationally.

That came with a 2004 publication of its record book, said Chris Boone, a spokesperson for the National Federation of State High School Associations. The NFHS recognizes Sims' mark as the third-longest in the country, behind De La Salle High School (151-0-0) in Concord, Calif., and Independence High School (113-0-0) in Charlotte, N.C.

Willie Jeffries, who played for Sims High School and is the legendary former coach of South Carolina State, also spoke in favor of the school streak being recognized, which the South Carolina HIgh School League's executive committee voted to accept.

You can see a video of that meeting on the Sims record here.

Bill Comer, Mary Gossett and former SC State coach Willie Jeffries (Bill Comer)

Gossett told the Union County News last year she spent more than a month on research.

“It was a challenge. I was trying to reconstruct the past from 1946 to 1954. Not a lot was written about Sims High School, which is why it became quite a challenge to gather the facts but I was able to find records and even understand enough to make use of it to support the winning streak. I just had to find it.”

The Picket has reached out to Gossett for comment. Comer said her “documentation was indisputable.”

The high school, meanwhile, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and there are hopes the building, which has been empty for 15 years, may be reused, perhaps for a performing arts center. The building was a middle school from 1970-2009.

Breathing new life into an old residence

While Comer feels passionately about the Sims record, the Dawkins House is perhaps a bigger project, with uncertain future funding and questions about the home’s integrity. Preservation South Carolina hopes to get a report soon on the latter.

Given the age of the house and wear, any college or community events will need to occur on the main floor. The upstairs won’t be able to handle large crowds, so it likely will be office space, according to Comer.

Although many rooms look bad, the house still has quality features including, beaded and dovetail wood, joints and beams (photo left, Preservation South Carolina).

“We’re bucking the odds,” said Comer of the project. “The people in Preservation South Carolina are very determined.”

The retiree said his desire to give back stems from growing up in the community.

People are tired of familiar places disappearing.

“The more these landmarks fall away, there is less talk about them,” Comer said. And forget about throwing up your hands in despair when confronted with a daunting task.

The time to act, Comer says, is now.

Here's the recipe for the new bombproofs and traverses going up at North Carolina's Fort Fisher: Do research. Add precast concrete. Cover with a whole lot of dirt

Bombproof construction begins, pieces for tunnel entrance next to original traverses (Fort Fisher)

A construction project this summer at Fort Fisher State Historic Site in North Carolina is something you don’t see every day – or will likely see anywhere else.

Sections of precast concrete were placed Friday near a giant mound of dirt as crews begin to build a replica bombproof -- an earth- and timber-covered structure that protected a garrison from shelling.

The Civil War site near Kure Beach and contractors are engaged in an extraordinary effort to recreate three traverses, bombproofs, a magazine and a sally port that were vital parts of the Confederate fort, which fell in furious hand-to-hand combat in January 1865.

“This is a one-of-a-kind project,” said Ben Warren project manager with Bordeaux Construction of Morrisville, N.C. “We build much larger projects, but many things on this project are unique.”

Rendering of traverses, sally port and visitor center behind (Fort Fisher)

A portion of the vital fort’s earthworks was leveled during World War II to make way for an airstrip when the area was used to train anti-aircraft and coastal artillery units. The work is in conjunction with a new visitor center, also being built by Bordeaux Construction.

The earthworks project requires nearly three dozen pieces of precast concrete. About half have arrived, said Warren. The pieces were made by the Alcrete plant in Jacksonville, N.C.

Chad Jefferds, assistant site manager at Fort Fisher, told the Picket there will be a new tunnel allowing visitors to pass through the fort at the center sally port, as would have been the case originally, along with bombproofs under the traverses.

The traverses are being built in the same line as those that have withstood the effects of time and change. Rebuilding the fort will involve the reconstruction of the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th traverses.

Click to enlarge to see rebuilt features, including tunnel and bombproof (Fort Fisher)

“You will not see the precast concrete tunnels, as they will be clad in wood, such that the tunnels will appear as though they were built from timber, same as they were built originally,” Warren said in an email.

Jefferds said the concrete will be placed, waterproofed and buried over the next several weeks “so that work can begin on the gun emplacements atop the recreated mounds. The current timeline for the work has everything being completed by early September, but this is all highly dependent on weather.”

The site, with the exception of a tour stop, closed in April. The new 20,000 square-foot visitor center, a significant upgrade, is just north of the east-west line mounds of earth known as traverses that were part of the defenses. Much of the eastern part of the fort has been claimed by the ocean. 

Visitors will use tunnel to explore  features in new traverses (Fort Fisher)

Crews will work to ensure any exposed portions of the concrete will be made to look like they appeared during the battle.

“Visitors will be able to walk through the tunnel and bombproofs, as well as up into the gun emplacements themselves,” said Jefferds.

“We are in the process of sourcing reproduction munitions, boxes, barrels, etc. to make the bombproofs appear as they may have during the Civil War.”

With the three traverses will come two gun emplacements, which will have a heavy cannon in each, along with two 12-pounder Napoleons in the center sally port.

The project will allow people to interact with the fort in a whole new way, as the tunnels and bombproofs have been caved in and inaccessible since the late 19th century, said Jefferds.

The new visitor center rises to the north of construction area (Fort Fisher)

The design of the recreated earthworks is based on historic maps, photographs and descriptions. Architectural and engineering firm Clark Nexsen made the designs, which will be similar to the original mounds, said Warren.

Dennis Stallings, design director for Clark Nexsen, said it had an archaeological consultant on its team, Commonwealth Heritage Group, which “provided documentary research along with archeological research and provided a comprehensive report on the original fort and its construction."

There were archeological investigations in 1970 and another in 1981 that provided context.

“We aimed to create earthworks that appeared historically accurate while seamlessly incorporating modern construction techniques,” Stallings wrote in an email. “This endeavor presented a unique challenge, as we found little precedent to guide us.”

“The reward is a project that is immensely satisfying as architects. It is a one-of-a-kind endeavor that millions of people will interact with over the coming decades,” he said.

New visitor center is in the middle, at left is current one, new traverses far left (Bordeaux Construction)

Fort Fisher was built on the peninsula between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, south of Wilmington.

On Jan. 15, 1865, after a naval bombardment, the Federal army attacked from the western, river side while Marines pushed in from the northeast bastion. The fall of the “Gibraltar of the South” cut off blockade runners and the last supply line through Wilmington to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. U.S. Colored Troops were among those taking part in the attack.

Essentially everything between Shepherd’s Battery on the western end of the fort’s land face and the center sally port were the scenes of intense fighting during the US Army’s assault. The fighting went from along the traverses from west to east and was often hand-to-hand.

Jefferds said planning is underway for a grand opening ceremony, which should take place toward the end of September “if everything stays on schedule.”

Montage of Timothy O'Sullivan wartime photos of traverses; click to enlarge

The new museum will be three times larger than the current one, with more room for groups, educational space, rental opportunities, staff offices, etc. The exhibit area is also larger and will be based on the experiences of the place by the people who lived, fought, and died here.

While Fort Fisher is still the focus, the approach in developing our exhibits was much more driven by people, including underrepresented groups, said Jefferds.

“The (visitor center) exhibit casework and artifact installation will begin next week and will wrap up on the last week of August, at which time the only remaining work will be on the earthworks and fortifications,” said Warren.

The old visitor center has been torn down.

"Doing so allows us to create a better viewshed of the fort from the new visitor center as well as create green space for programming," said Jefferds.

This researcher helped families obtain Medal of Honor for two soldiers. Here's what he, a descendant and six experts say about the Great Locomotive Chase legacy

Gerald Taylor, descendant of Philip Shadrach, receives medal while a Wilson relative looks on; at top is depiction
 of the chase, at bottom right are Wilson (top) and Shadrach // Wikipedia and U.S. Army photos

Pvt. George D. Wilson delivered a short message from the gallows moments before he was hanged with six other Union soldiers for taking part in a daring raid aimed at disrupting rail traffic between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn.

According to legend, the raider told the crowd near Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta the “time would come the Union would be restored and the American flag would fly over the nation again,” says Brad Quinlin, a Georgia-based researcher and historian.

Quinlin played an integral part in ensuring that Wilson and 2^nd Ohio comrade Pvt. Philip G. Shadrach receive the Medal of Honor.

“It’s been a long time in coming,” President Joe Biden said of the honor during a July 3 White House presentation ceremony attended by Wilson and Shadrach descendants.

James Andrews and his band of Union raiders, dressed in civilian clothes, tried to destroy much of the Western & Atlantic Railroad and communications as they rushed northward on April 12, 1862. But little damage was done and the group was forced to flee when the commandeered locomotive General ran out of fuel. They were captured and most later escaped or were exchanged. Andrews and seven others -- including Shadrach and Wilson -- were treated as spies and executed.

Pvt. George Wilson (far right) makes a speech just before the hanging

Among the pursuing locomotives was the Texas, which survived and is at the Atlanta History Center. The General is the star attraction of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga., where the chase began. While the North considered the two dozen raiders heroes, the Confederacy held the same regard for conductor William A. Fuller and others who joined the pursuit – now known as the Great Locomotive Chase.

A Shadrach family member and descendants of Jacob Parrott, a raider who received the first ever Medal of Honor, years ago encouraged Quinlin to use his innate (and persistent) research skills to support the nomination of the two soldiers. Quinlin, who lives in Suwanee, Ga., told CNN there is no clear reason why paperwork wasn’t submitted for Shadrach and Wilson; perhaps their officers were promoted to different units and moved on. He worked with descendant Ron Shadrach on the forms.

The researcher, a volunteer at the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga, told the Picket he felt it was crucial for living Medal of Honor recipients to support the effort to recognize Shadrach and Wilson more than 160 years after they showed conspicuous gallantry. Nineteen other Union soldiers who took part in the raid were awarded the Medal of Honor.

He got involved about 15 years ago and there were many bumps along the way. He learned from a retired general he needed to submit forms “nobody told me to fill out.”

General (left) and Texas are at museums in Kennesaw and Atlanta (Picket photos)

Last week was an emotional moment for the families, supporters and Quinlin. The years of work had paid off. An Army official told him, “You know, Brad it is not supposed to be easy.”

The Picket asked Quinlin and several other Civil War experts – including two at the museums home to the General and Texas – for their thoughts on the legacy of the Andrews Raid, what it meant at the time and why Shadrach and Wilson should be honored this many years later.

Quinlin (more about him below) provided his responses in a telephone interview, while the rest submitted emails. Some submissions have been edited for brevity and context. They are presented alphabetically, by last name.

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RICHARD BANZ, executive director of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga.

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

I think it is always important to remember and honor heroic deeds. We have specific commemorations such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day for this very purpose. Philip Gephart Shadrach and George Davenport Wilson made the ultimate sacrifice for their community and country when they were executed on June 18, 1862, for their participation in the Great Locomotive Chase. The irony is that they should have posthumously received the Medal of Honor much closer to their deaths rather than have their families wait 162 years for these two individuals to be honored and recognized. 

2. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?
Northerners recognized the bravery and heroism of the raid even though it strategically failed. Their actions showed the determination and resolve of the Union to win this war. The Raiders became a source of pride and sacrifice for the Union effort, and they carried this with them following the war through veteran reunions and recounting of the raid.

3. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

Southerners involved in the Great Locomotive Chase were as equally resolved to end the raid as were their counterparts to make it succeed. That they were able to recapture the General and the way that they did it… first on foot, then using a pole car, followed by pursuit in three different locomotives is nothing short of incredible.  

4. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

Heroes all. These were men who were willing to sacrifice everything for their perspective countries to succeed. Amazingly, they seemed to hold each other in high esteem despite being enemies during this terrible war. Alas, we must also recognize that war is not the answer to our problems. Perhaps our nation could have peacefully resolved its many differences and social wrongs without the Civil War ever taking place. Would it not have been much better had all these men and their families been allowed to live out their lives in peace?

5. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

Participants of the Great Locomotive Chase were the very first Americans to receive the Medal of Honor. Two of the locomotives involved in the Chase, the General and Texas, have been preserved largely because of their role during that event. The story behind April 12, 1862, has lasted through time and has become legendary throughout the country and indeed the world.

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CHARLIE CRAWFORD, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association and tour leader for Georgia Civil War sites

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

I first remember hearing about the effort to get medals for Shadrach, Wilson, and Llewellyn when I was stationed in the Pentagon in the 1970s. It was often mentioned along with the effort by Samuel Mudd’s descendants to get Dr. Mudd fully exonerated for allegedly conspiring with the Lincoln assassins.

Since all the soldiers who participated in the raid were from three Ohio Regiments (2^nd, 21^st, 33^rd), the movement to get the additional medals was spearheaded by people from Ohio. They and their successors in the movement have persisted, despite the Department of the Army repeatedly denying the request in part because of missing or insufficient records.

Unlike the long-delayed upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor for Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. in 2021 (while he was still alive) for something he did in Korea, the awards to Shadrach and Wilson aren’t going to make them feel appreciated or inspire others who will hear them tell of their actions.

Remember that the Medal of Honor was brand new in 1862 and was the only medal available to recognize worthy acts. Since there was no awards and (decorations) system such as we have today, there were no criteria specified for the medal’s award. It was often awarded haphazardly. Capturing a Confederate flag was often rewarded with the medal. Tom Custer (Custer’s younger brother, right) had two medals for capturing two flags during the Army of Northern Virginia’s retreat to Appomattox. At that point, Confederates interested in avoiding capture might have gotten less attached to their flags, which have since become similar to holy relics.

The great variance in actions that earned the medal led to a 1890s War Department review that revoked many wartime medals and also awarded new ones for wartime acts that were now deemed worthy. One of the new awards went to Col. John W. Sprague, who organized the defense of Decatur, Ga., when Wheeler attacked during the 22 July 1864 Battle of Atlanta.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?

It made for great reading in the newspapers, and it indicated the range of methods the U.S. would try in an attempt to win the war.

Remember the context, though. Big news from the eastern theater was McClellan getting the Peninsula Campaign underway. Especially in Georgia but also nationally, the U.S. Army had just forced the surrender of Fort Pulaski and thus rendered Savannah useless as a port for blockade runners. Probably most importantly, the casualty figures from Shiloh were a shock to both sides. No American battle had ever produced such carnage. Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and the Overland Campaign might later come to overshadow Shiloh, but in mid-April 1862, Shiloh was an incomprehensible event.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with Theresa Chandler, a descendant of Wilson (U.S Army)

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

The dastardly Yankees would resort to any means. It also made Southerners behind the lines aware that they could be vulnerable. Even today, Southerners describe the raid by Yankee “Spahs” (southern for Spies, and said with emphasis and venom). The raiders were actually not spies but saboteurs, though the penalty for getting caught can be death for either offense.

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

The U.S. participants, like many young men who go to war, were motivated by patriotism, bravery, hubris, recklessness, the need for a job, etc.  The men of Sills’ brigade were also motivated to see some action.  They had been in middle Tennessee and -- as men often do --worried that the war would end without them seeing the elephant.

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

We often assert that the Atlanta Campaign is undervalued and understudied even though it was perhaps the pivotal campaign of the war, but we can also assert that the Andrews Raid is overly studied and overly publicized since -- even had it been successful -- it would have made no difference whatsoever in the outcome of the war.

(Editor’s note: Read the last section of this blog post for Crawford’s timeline for the other members of the Andrews Raid to receive their medals)

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GORDON JONES, senior military historian and curator at the Atlanta History Center

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

These were American soldiers who went above and beyond the call of duty.  No matter how long ago that happened, they still deserve to be honored. It’s never too late to correct an oversight.  

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

They were ordinary people doing what they felt they had to do – and in so doing, became extraordinary. But you also have to understand and be honest about their motivations. They didn’t volunteer for this because they wanted to be heroes or expected to be honored as such. They volunteered because they felt it was their duty to their country, their cause and (in the end) their comrades-in-arms. 

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

Honestly, the Andrews Raid was not of great strategic importance at the time. The outcome of the war did not hinge on its success or failure.  But I think it’s still important today for three reasons: 

It’s the origin story of the highest award for military valor the United States government can bestow. It’s about personal sacrifice to save others. That’s timeless. 

Here is a prime example of how a new technology -- railroads – really changed how this war was fought, and, for that matter, how all wars would be fought for the next century. As supply arteries, railroads became key military objectives – just look at the battles for Atlanta.

The third thing is this: How many of us became history or Civil War buffs after hearing the story of the Andrews Raid and, specifically, after watching Disney’s “The Great Locomotive Chase”? That (1956) movie had a huge impact on a whole generation of kids.

 Yeah, it was a movie, but it made me want to find out about the history. It was one of those trigger moments.

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KEN PADGETT, Friends of Resaca Battlefield

Padgett at Resaca battlefield park in North Georgia (Picket photo)

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

 No other war in American history had such a significant impact that touched almost every family in our country. The Andrews Raid was one of the most fascinating operations in the war. Both Andrews and Fuller were both heroes to their respected nations.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?

The raid was an overall failure for the Union, but it did give them some heroes that they needed badly in 1862.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

The South made heroes of the pursuers.

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

A story and legend that was amazingly true for both sides.

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

It is a case study of the determination of purpose and resourcefulness of the pursued and the pursuer.

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TONY PATTON, Friends of Resaca Battlefield

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

 I feel that sacrifice should never be forgotten. These two men should be honored and remembered just as their fellow soldiers were, regardless of time of service. 

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?

I'm sure it was a big boost to morale, even if it wasn't totally successful.            

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

I believe for the South, it struck fear into the home front. It also made them aware of how vulnerable the bridges and river crossings were along the railroad. Most were fortified with forts and/or blockhouses not long after this event.    

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

The men of both sides were doing what they felt were right.  Lots of folks want to judge these men through the lens of modern-day thinking and beliefs. It was a different time. 

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

It was a daring mission for sure. The men who volunteered for this, I feel, are much like our men and women who serve in the military today. They should be remembered for their bravery, duty and sacrifice to this country.  

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BRAD QUINLIN, Civil War historian, author and researcher

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

Quinlin says family members many years ago asked him to get involved, and he scoured numerous documents and filled out many forms required by the Army. Rather than an approach of believing Shadrach and Wilson should receive the honor because most of the raiders did, he delved into their actual valor and papers that showed commitment to mission.

“Shadrach and Wilson enlisted. They weren’t drafted. They volunteered for this mission knowing as civilians if they were captured (out of uniform), death would be a possibility.”

Brad Quinlin (second from right) with members of Wilson family (U.S. Army)

Q. What did the honor mean for the families and you?

Meeting with the families over a few days and the July 3 ceremony at the White House were special for the historian, who was present at a similar ceremony in autumn 2023 for Larry Taylor, an Army recipient who died a few months later. Quinlin supported that nomination, too.

Quinlin spent several days last week with the families in Washington, including the presentation ceremony. “They looked at me sitting in the audience and smiled.” They wanted him to be photographed with the medals, and he obliged. “We were so ecstatic. We are glad it is done.”

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?

“The raid boosted morale. Enlistments rose up,” the researcher says. “It gave an exciting moment, especially after the casualty rates from Shiloh. It strengthened the size of the Union army.”

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

The Southern perspective was the raid proved to be a failure. Could it have succeeded? Heavy rain and unexpected trains on the Western & Atlantic line ruined the chances. Quinlin marvels at what Fuller accomplished in his dogged pursuit. “That was a feat of human strength.” (At left, testimony from Andrews Raid members submitted to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton / courtesy Brad Quinlin)

Q. Would the raid have affected the outcome of the war, if successful?

Quinlin argues the accompanying movement of Federal troops could have resulted in the control of a vital railroad coming into Chattanooga, which was then held by the Confederacy. East Tennessee had copper and saltpeter mines and success could have led to more Federal enlistments there, the researcher says. These factors and a cutting of supplies to parts of the South could have shortened the war and saved 100,000 lives, Quinlin says. Communication failures, among others, kept the Union army from taking Chattanooga. “Everything fell apart.”

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

“It was one of the first major, secret operations into an enemy territory,” says Quinlin. Lessons from the bravado, planning and failures of the mission have influenced military missions since. Living Medal of Honor recipients appreciate what Andrews and his men did, Quinlin says. “It (takes) amazing bravery. I ask ever recipient how do you do that. It is taking the moment and acting. And they did it.”

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RON SHADRACH, Independence, Ohio; great cousin of Philip G. Shadrach

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

The obvious answer is that they had been long overlooked for this honor. An honor merited on its face. It was on the back of those who sacrificed their lives that the others could and would become the first so honored. A statute of limitations or relevancy should never run out on our veterans.

Q. What did this day mean for your family?

There has been a great mix of emotions too difficult to capture and describe. We hope that the nation might feel equally rewarded with the recognition of Private Wilson and Private Shadrach and the Andrews Raiders for their selflessness in action.

Ron Shadrach holds medal case; his daughter Megan is third from left (Special)

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time? 

It did not mean much at the time but as the events ran their course to recognition with the first Medals of Honor, it became one of those moments that President Lincoln was able to use to hold the Union together.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

It was a rallying point, an awakening in this area of the South to the real threat to the everyday life. To this point, the war for citizens in Atlanta and of the surrounding area was something far away. 

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

Both gave their all, showed unparalleled conviction to their nation and a way of life centuries in the making. They were (are) all remarkable Americans. 

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

We have an event that led to the first Medal of Honor and today still serves to exemplify a standard for which this honor is based. The Andrews Raid legacy not only serves as a standard but as a checkpoint for our nation. 

People can read about Pvt. Wilson and Pvt. Shadrach and the Andrews Raid on my website: Shadrachandwilsonmoh.com. A day by day account of the Andrews Raid as told by those who lived it can be read here.

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MICHAEL K. SHAFFER, Civil War historian and author of “Day by Day Through the Civil War in Georgia”

Q. Why is it important for the country to honor these two men this long after the Civil War?

This recognition ensures remembrance and acknowledgment of these soldiers' sacrifices and contributions, thus preserving the history and significance of their roles in shaping the nation.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the North/Union at the time?

Despite the raid’s failure to fully achieve the primary military objective of destroying the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, the act symbolized determination and resolve. The willingness of Federal soldiers to engage in such a perilous mission reflected their broader commitment to the Union cause.

Q. What did the Andrews Raid mean to the South at the time?

In response to the raid, Confederate officials, especially in the state of Georgia, increased security measures around vital transportation infrastructure, such as railroads and bridges, to prevent similar incursions in the future. Citizens could no longer travel on trains in Georgia unless they first obtained a military pass. This event sent waves of fear across the Empire State of the South.

Great Locomotive Chase route, from Big Shanty to Ringgold, Ga.

Q. How should we look today at those who were involved in the chase -- on both sides?

Remembering that Federal raiders and Confederate defenders had personal stories, motivations, and families helps to humanize the participants, thus fostering empathy and a balanced historical understanding.

Q. What is the legacy of the Andrews Raid today?

We remember the raid as a daring and courageous mission. The mettle of the Federal soldiers who accompanied James Andrews behind enemy lines signifies a lasting mark of bravery. Now -- 161 years after their comrades received the first Medals of Honor in 1863 -- Privates Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson join the banners of the brave. Their extraordinary heroism warranted recognition. We continue this tradition today when honoring our service members.

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Charlie Crawford's timeline of Medal of Honor dates for raid

Not all the medals were awarded on the same date. The first six went on 25 March 1863 to six raiders (Parrott, Bensinger, Buffum, Mason, Pittenger, Reddick) who had been exchanged. Of the seven raiders who were hanged south of Oakland Cemetery on 18 June 1862, Ross and Robertson were awarded the medal on 17 September 1863, Scott on 4 August 1866 and Slavens on 28 July 1883. Campbell did not receive the medal because he was a civilian. Wilson and Shadrach were among the hanged seven.

All eight who escaped in October 1862 received the medal. The award date for seven (Dorsey, Wood, Porter, Brown, Knight, Wilson, Hawkins) of the eight was 17 September 1863. The eighth who escaped, John Wollam, has a medal award date of 20 July 1864. I don’t know why his date is different from the other seven, but it also indicates the lack of uniformity in recognizing the raid as award-worthy.

If you’ve been doing the math, that accounts for 21 of the 24 raiders. Andrews (above, right) will never get the medal since he was a civilian. That’s 22. 

When Andrews assembled the group at Shelbyville, Tennessee, in early April, he told them to use a cover story as they walked to Chattanooga to catch the train southward. They were told to say they were headed south to find a Kentucky regiment in which to enlist since they were supposedly from Flemingsburg, Ky. Two of the raiders were confronted by Confederate pickets and told they needed to enlist on the spot rather than continue their search for a Kentucky regiment. One of the two was Smith, who deserted back to the U.S. Army and received his medal on 6 July 1864.

(Poster board at White House for Philip G. Shadrach / courtesy Brad Quinlin)

The other was Llewellyn, who also deserted back to the U.S. Army but never received the medal. The Department of the Army still maintains that Llewellyn doesn’t deserve the medal since he didn’t participate in the raid, nor was he imprisoned. Porter and Hawkins overslept in Marietta and missed the train, so they didn’t participate in the locomotive chase, but they were discovered as part of the original group when they tried to enlist in the Confederate army (figuring they’d ultimately be deployed much closer to U.S. lines and could desert then) and used the cover story that they were from Flemingsburg, Kentucky, which became widely known as part of the ruse. They were then imprisoned with the others.

Note the varying award dates for the medals: 1863, 1864, 1866, 1883, and now 2024. This also indicates today’s awards are a considerable afterthought that is unlikely to inspire and certainly will be appreciated only by a small number of people.

So, three of the 24 will not get the Medal of Honor: Andrews, Campbell, and Llewellyn, though I suspect the Llewellyn supporters will keep trying, citing Smith as an example.