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It's April 12, 1862, a year to the day since the outbreak of the American Civil War.

A steam locomotive called the General charges north through the mountains of Georgia.

Inside the cab, a 33-year-old Union spy, James J. Andrews, frantically checks the power gauge.

He's running out of fuel and fast. A few days ago, James and a group of Union soldiers

snuck inside Confederate territory and stole this train. Now they're headed north to rendezvous

with Union troops in Chattanooga, but they still have 20 miles of track ahead of them.

Now it seems the General is out of steam. James listens as the engine produces a series

of sputtering last gas. Before finally, it gives out completely.

The train comes to a stop. James is worried, and no small part,

due to the fact that there's another locomotive on their trail.

The pursuing train is loaded with heavily armed Confederate soldiers.

James's men have done their best to damage the track as they go,

hopefully slowing their pursuers' progress. But there's no way of knowing how effective

their sabotage has been. Now James must decide whether to stay and try to refuel or finish the

journey on foot. But as he ponders his next move, James hears a distant whistle. When he sticks his

head out of the window to look down the track behind him, he sees the Confederate train burst from

the mouth of a dark tunnel, firing in all cylinders. James knows he and his men are out of options.

Their only hope of avoiding capture is to abandon the General, scatter into the surrounding woods.

When James J. Andrews orders his men to flee into the woods from the train they captured,

...