COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two Ohio Civil War soldiers, who played crucial roles in one of the earliest covert military operations that became the subject of a classic Hollywood silent film, finally received the recognition and honor they deserved after more than 150 years.
According to the White House, Union Army Soldiers Private Philip G. Shadrach, a native Pennsylvanian, and Private George D. Wilson, who was born in Ohio, were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Joe Biden.
Shadrach and Wilson were part of what came to be known as the “Great Locomotive Chase,” a real-life stealth mission later loosely adapted in the 1926 Buster Keaton film “The General.” The pair were part of Andrews' Raiders, a group of volunteers in a covert operation conceived by spy and scout James J. Andrews, a private citizen.
On April 12, 1862, Shadrach and Wilson joined nearly two dozen other Union soldiers who put away their uniforms and disguised themselves as civilians to slip 200 miles into Confederate territory. Once there, they commandeer a train in Georgia. The soldiers aimed to disrupt Confederate supply lines by tearing up tracks and severing telegraph lines. Despite their efforts, several men, including Shadrach and Wilson, were captured by the enemy and executed, their actions symbolizing the ultimate dedication to their country.
(Original Caption) 4/12/1862-: Great Locomotive Chase (Andrews Raid). The Locomotive General, which was pirated by a group of Union soldiers and driven from Marietta, Georgia to Chattanooga.
The Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid, a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. From The History of Our Country, published 1905. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Eingeschränkte Rechte für bestimmte redaktionelle Kunden in Deutschland. Limited rights for specific editorial clients in Germany.) USA - Tennessee - : Andrew's Raiders monument in Chattanooga National Cemetery, erected in 1890, bronze replica of the locomotive known as The General, the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase. - Photographer: A. W. Judds- Published by: 'Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung' 44/1903Vintage property of ullstein bild (Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 03: U.S. President Joe Biden presents a Medal of Honor to Gerald Taylor (C), the Great, Great Nephew of Private Philip G. Shadrach, Posthumous Medal of Honor Recipient in the East Room of the White House on July 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden presented the posthumous awards to two Union U.S. soldiers Philip Shadrach and George Wilson who fought during the Civil War and participated in an undercover mission which later known as the “Great Locomotive Chase.” (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 03: U.S. President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to Theresa Chandler (2nd L), great, great granddaughter of Private George D. Wilson, and Gerald Taylor (L), great, great nephew of Private Philip G. Shadrach, during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden presented the awards posthumously to two Union U.S. soldiers Philip Shadrach and George Wilson who fought during the Civil War and participated in an undercover mission which later known as the “Great Locomotive Chase.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 03: U.S. President Joe Biden presents a Medal of Honor to Theresa Chandler, the Great, Great Granddaughter of Private George D. Wilson, Posthumous Medal of Honor Recipient, in the East Room of the White House on July 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden presented the posthumous awards to two Union U.S. soldiers Philip Shadrach and George Wilson who fought during the Civil War and participated in an undercover mission which later known as the “Great Locomotive Chase.” (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Biden is awarding the Medal of Honor to two Civil War soldiers. Descendants of Private Philip G. Shadrach and Private George D. Wilson are receiving the medal for their ancestors' heroism in battle. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Private Philip G. Shadrach, born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, was only 21 when he joined the 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment on Sept. 20, 1861. On his own from a young age, Shadrach committed himself to the Union cause, risking his life in the perilous raid that led to his death.
Private George D. Wilson, a shoemaker from Belmont County, Ohio, enlisted in the Union Army’s Company B, 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry on Aug. 31, 1861. As a member of the famous Andrews' Raid, he became “a central figure in the Great Locomotive Chase,” the White House noted.
This posthumous recognition of Shadrach and Wilson addresses a long-overdue acknowledgment of their bravery. Though they were eligible for the Medal of Honor in 1863, they were not awarded for unknown reasons. The July 2024 awards for “conspicuous gallantry” bring their sacrifices to light more than a century after their deaths.