Former Dalton State College President James A. BurranIF YOU GOWhat: 150th anniversary of the Great Locomotive ChaseWhen: April 14, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Where: 305 Depot St., Dalton, Ga.Admission: $49Tickets for all events: glctour.eventbrite.comFor more information: southernmuseum.com, dalton150th.com
Dalton, Ga., is gearing up to remember what John Culpepper, Chickamauga city manager and chairman of the Georgia Civil War Commission, has called "the first watershed event of the war in our area."
Dr. Robert Jones, president of the Kennesaw Historical Society, will take visitors to three sites crucial to the story of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. In that chase, Union saboteurs known as Andrews' Raiders hijacked a locomotive named The General and attempted to destroy much of the track and telegraph wires between Atlanta and Chattanooga while being pursued by Confederate forces.
"This tour is a rare chance to learn about the American Civil War firsthand," said Dr. James Burran, chairman of the Dalton 150th Commemoration Committee and retired president of Dalton State College. "We expect a day of lively interaction."
The tour will cap off a weekend of events celebrating the Great Locomotive Chase's sesquicentennial organized by the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, where The General is on display.
Other events include a "Spirit Walk" with local re-enactors, performances of Civil War-era songs, and free museum admission.