President Joe Biden on Wednesday awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry to two Union soldiers who stole a locomotive deep in Confederate territory during the Civil War and drove it north for 87 miles (140 kilometers) as they destroyed railroad tracks and telegraph lines.
This is a great historical story. The raid was conceived by a civilian who wanted to steal a train behind confederate lines and then ride it while destroying the tracks behind in order to disrupt confederate logistics. The raid turned into a chase as the conductor of the stolen train chased the raiders on a series of handcarts and trains, while the raiders attempted to disrupt telegraph wires and tracks. Eventually the raiders had to abandon their stolen train and were captured, with some escaping, some being executed, and some being held as POWs. I actually made a post about the man who conceived of the raid a while back in the American Civil War community here.
The other soldiers (except for one who still doesn’t have an MOH) in the raid were awarded the newly created MOH during the war. These two soldiers were retroactively awarded the MOH by Congress in 2008, so I am not sure why it took so long for the award to be presented.
There’s also Buster Keaton’s The General (1926). They switched it up though and had the confederates doing the raiding and the union doing the chasing.
Grand Theft Loco: Civil War
Tbf they were his childhood friends
I would make the same joke about trump, but we all know he didn’t have any childhood friends.
And that’s more of a fact than a joke… I read too much is never enough. He was a very delusional child and so much of that was the fault of his father. Not that that is any excuse for him as an adult to do the shit he does. It just explains it
I agree, this is important to emphasise. I don’t want to ever slip into the mindset of dehumanising Trump in the same way that him and his allies dehumanise people like me, because I think that drive to so thoroughly otherize political opponents is a key driver of fascistic thinking. Having empathy for people like Trump (and those that follow him) doesn’t excuse their actions or beliefs, but I think it’s important
The story leaves out they were school mates
This is a pretty amazing story. Dope pick actually.
For those that would like the story told with a little stylized flair:
https://nebula.tv/videos/extrahistory-civil-war-train-heist-the-first-medals-of-honor-us-history/
