Adventures of Alf. Wilson : a thrilling episode of the dark days of the rebellion

FTER the following chapters of this book were in type, and I thought my work completed, I received notice from the printers that two pages of space had been left for an author's preface, and a request that I should forward the same without delay. ## A As book-making is regulated by established customs, I suppose; that in order to please the printers and conform to these old established usages, I ought to fill these two pages with an apology for writing a book, or, rather, for my unfitness for such work. I have, in this connection, only this consoling thought to offer the reader-that had I been a better bookmaker, I might have been less a Mitchell raider. Originally, the following chapters of this book were intended solely for publication in the local newspaper of my own county. My friends and old army comrades, after reading them, as they appeared from week to week, said they were interesting and advised me to publish them in book form, and here it is. If it does not meet the requirements of the critics, let them bear in mind that it is simply the story of a private soldier, told in plain words, by one who aspires to no literary honors, who claims no credit for martyrdom, whose deeds did not change the tide of a single battle, nor to any act of soldierly gallantry. None of these are mine. I may say, too, incidentally, that stealing and wrecking a railroad, even in case of (3) iv PERSONAL. those who succeed, is not considered an unusual occurrence, not even in times of peace, and does not usually furnish material for a book; but in this case there are a few circumstances, incidents and accidents not connected with common occurrences of the kind. I am not, however, aware, to this day, what effect our efforts had, if any, on the stock of the Georgia Central Railroad; yet, had we succeeded, I do not think it would have been beneficial to the owners at that time. I need not, perhaps, say to the reader, that I never have had any further desire to engage in railroad enterprises, and all the credit I claim for myself, in this expedition, is that I believe I cheated the rebels out of the pleasure of hanging me, and did all in my power to carry out the orders of my General, and tried to serve my country faithfully. Annotation. In April of 1862 a group of men to undertake one of the most daring raids of the American Civil War. The Adventures of Alf Wilson is the personal account of the raid by one of its members, reproduced here as it was originally published in 1897. Twenty-four Union soldiers, by order of Gen. Ormsby Mitchell, disguise themselves as southerners and make their way to Marietta Georgia. There, within earshot of a confederate encampment, the men steal the locomotive The General. Their orders are to sever the Western Atlantic Railroad. If the men succeed, they will cripple enemy troop movement. If caught, they will surely be hanged as spies. Spotted by a canny stationmaster, a high-speed chase ensues and desperate men fight to carry out their mission and survive the outcome