The General.
The centerpiece of the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History is Western & Atlantic Railroad 4-4-0 no. 3, named The General. During the Civil War the locomotive was central to the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862, in which Union spies stole it from Big Shanty, GA in an unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the rail line between Atlanta and Chattanooga, which would have hindered flow of supplies and reinforcements to the latter city and thus allowed Union forces to take the city. In 1887 Big Shanty was renamed to Kennesaw, meaning the locomotive resides right next to its home rails where the historic event took place!
