Biden awards Medal of Honor to soldiers from Civil War's Great Locomotive Chase

WASHINGTON — In brief remarks honoring two Union soldiers killed after a failed effort to sabotage a Confederate rail line in 1862, President Joe Biden celebrated their bravery and commitment to their cause.

In bestowing the Medal of Honor posthumously on U.S. Army Pvts. Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson, Biden also celebrated them and their comrades for sticking to their mission even as the odds of victory diminished before their eyes.

“George and Phillip and the rest of the raiders didn’t quit,” the president said. “They kept going nearly for seven hours, destroying as much track as they could along the way and cutting as many telegraph wires as they could.”

Biden said the group almost made it to the Tennessee border before Confederate soldiers caught up with them. And many survived in the forest for up to two weeks before they were captured.

The president lately has been facing his own test of fortitude, resisting calls for him to abandon his campaign for a second term in office after a dismal performance at last week’s debate in Atlanta. But he has said he has no plans to step aside.

During his remarks at Wednesday’s ceremony, Biden made a note that Wilson was a “hell of a debater.”

“He always was ready to persuade, argue and, as one family member put it, dress anyone down if need be,” the president said.

Biden described Shadrach as a “free spirit, always searching for adventure, excitement and trade.”

Teresa Chandler, a great-great-granddaughter of Wilson, accepted the award on his behalf. Shadrach’s great-grandnephew Gerald Taylor was the one who received his award.

Biden said the families had told him how they had passed down the stories about their ancestors and the Great Locomotive Chase through the generations.

The men were taken to a Confederate prison and chained by their necks and wrists, Biden said. Eventually, they were publicly hanged but stayed true to their belief of a united America until the end.

Remember that commitment to democracy and freedom is worth noting as the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, Biden said.

“Their heroic deeds went unacknowledged for over a century, but time did not erase their valor,” he said. “And what they fought for and died for is just as precious today as it was then.”

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