The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) follows the Union spy James Andrews (Fess Parker) and his group of recruits as they attempt to steal a Confederate train to decisively cut the Confederacy in half. The movie begins with four of Andrew’s men receiving the Medal of Honor for their service to the Union, and then flashes back to retell the story of the chase. The plan (which Andrews accepts) is to steal a train out of Atlanta, Georgia, burn the bridges, and cut telegraph lines along the way to stop Confederate trains from advancing northwards. After Andrews rounds up his group of men, they all begin to head southward, in groups of two and three, until they meet in Atlanta to board a train. While on their way south, a few men (including Andrews) end up at a small house with clear Confederate ties. The woman of the house eagerly invites the men to join them after the men lie and say there are from Kentucky, on their way to join a Georgia unit. The family is familiar with Andrews, and they believe his is an avid Confederate supporter (he even leads “Dixie” after dinner).
Once the men all reach Atlanta, they board a train headed northwards. The conductor of the train, William Fuller (Jeffrey Hunter) becomes suspicious of the men and speaks to Andrews where he claims they are on a special mission under the orders of Beauregard. Once the train stops for breakfast (and all the passengers exit), Andrews and his men commandeer the train. Fuller notices at once and begins to run after it. This was a risky move for Andrews and company because they hijacked the train right in front of a Confederate camp.
Andrews and his men diligently head northwards as fast as they can, while stopping intermittingly to tear up tracks and cut lines. Fuller remains dedicated to following the train, first running, then seizing a small push cart, and finally securing a small train. The chase continues for most of the movie, with Andrews sly talking his way through various stations and stops, while Fuller adamantly chases his train. Fuller eventually catches up with Andrews’s train (within a few hundred yards) and the chase is at its height. Andrews and his men finally reach the bridge they intended to burn, and they set a vacant train car on fire. Their attempt fails, however, and eventually Andrews’s train runs out of coal. As soon as this happens, a Confederate Calvary catches up with Andrews and Fuller, and Andrew’s men scatter (only to be caught by the Confederates). The men are placed in jail and sentenced to hang. The men attempt to break out of jail and only a few men successfully escape. The men who are left are hanged (which is unseen) and the movie closes (again) with the few survivors receiving the Medal of Honor.
This movie is important for understanding the memory of the Civil War because it explains an event of the war from a Northern perspective. There are no Lost Cause links seen throughout this movie and there are many instances where the men are unsure of why they are exactly fighting the war and their feelings on the ‘enemy’. For example, early on in the movie, the narrator explains that he knows he supposed to hate the Confederates, but he does not. There is, however, one character that constantly refers to the Confederates as “Johnny Rebs” and his sole purpose is to kill them. Also, the movie constantly refers back to a Union victory and how essential it was the men succeeded in their mission (which, of course, they did not). Overall, the movie displays how committed both the Union and Confederate soldiers were at defeating the enemy. There was very little instances where men (on either side) backed down, and Fuller’s determination to stop Andrews displays how dedicated men were to their respective sides.
