Review of "The Stolen Train," by Robert Ashley

 Review of

The Stolen Train, by Robert Ashley

Five out of five stars

True adventure story for adolescents

 In the history of the American Civil War, it is known as the Great Locomotive Chase, Andrews’ Raid or the Mitchel Raid. A small group of Union men commandeered a train known as the General and took it toward the Union lines at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Their goal was to do as much damage as possible to the vital rail line, tearing up tracks, cutting telegraph lines and burning bridges. It was led by James Andrews, and while they did not do as much damage as they hoped to do, they did accomplish much of what they set out to do.

 This book for the adolescent reader is a largely historically accurate rendition of that event. It is told from the perspective of Private Johnnie Adams of the Ohio Volunteers. He is in is mid-teens and was selected for the mission because he was an expert at climbing poles quickly. The only real flaw in the book is that there should have been a couple of pages at the end explaining the actual event that the book is based on.

 An exciting adventure story for adolescents starring an adolescent in a critical war job, this is a book that I read several times as a child and loved reading again.