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The story details the capture of a railway train deep inside Confederate territory, the exciting chase that ensues and the final outcome for this group of brave Union men. Survivors of this mission were the first soldiers with the rank of Private to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. No single story of the Civil War combines so many of the hidden underground elements that are rarely brought to the surface through traditional analysis of tactical warfare. This story contains all of the adventure to keep the reader enthralled, and its details are completely accurate. Names, dates, and localities are so explicate throughout the work that it is easy to verify the prominent features of the account. Although based on the original 1881 story, Daring and Suffering, this novel holds greater historical value by means of a new approach and broader view of the events.
About the author
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted as a private in Company H of the 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment on April 17, 1861, for three months of service, during which time he participated in the First Battle of Bull Run. He soon re-enlisted in the Army for a three-year term, being mustered in on September 11, 1861, at Camp Dennison, Ohio, and days later joining the reconstituted 2nd Ohio Infantry as a corporal in Company G. Promoted to sergeant on March 13, 1862, Pittenger saw action in Andrews' Raid, also referred to as the Great Locomotive Chase. Captured on April 15, 1862, near Lafayette, Georgia, he escaped execution as a spy and was imprisoned until March 18, 1863, when he was paroled via City Point, Virginia.
This is the story of the failed attempt, the escape, capture and execution of eight soldiers as spy's and Pittenger's eventual release by prisoner exchange.
