William Hunter Campbell (September 9, 1839 – June 18, 1862) was an Ohio civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War. He participated in a daring raid behind enemy lines on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, known famously as the Great Locomotive Chase. The mission failed and Campbell and seven fellow raiders were executed by the Confederates on the charge of spying.Russell S. Bonds. ''Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor'', Westholme Publishing, 2006. William Hunter Campbell was born in Fox Township, Carroll County, Ohio to Samuel and Sarah Hunter Campbell.andrewsraid.com (William Hunter Campbell)
/ref> Howe says in Historical Collections of Ohio that his mother was named Jane Morgan, a cousin of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan. Campbell was visiting friends with

2nd Ohio Infantry The 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Three-months regiment With the outbreak of the Civil War in the spring of 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers from each No ...

in Kentucky in 1862 when he was recruited to participate in a raid to steal a Confederate locomotive and bring it to Federal lines.

James J. Andrews James J. Andrews (c. 1829 – June 7, 1862) was a Kentucky civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War. He led a daring raid behind enemy lines on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, known as the ...

, also a civilian, recruited Campbell and 22 soldiers from three Ohio regiments, the 2nd,

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. In mathematics 21 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7, and a defici ...

and

33rd Ohio Infantry The 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Portsmouth, Ohio, from August 5 through September 13, 1861. It was mustered in fo ...

. Another participant described Campbell : "He was a man of two hundred twenty pounds, handsome as Apollo, and of immense physical strength, which he was slow to use when roused, though good-natured and clever in the main." The raiders were to sneak south in civilian clothing and rendezvous in Marietta, Georgia. All but two made it and boarded a train pulled by the locomotive ''General'' on April 12, 1862. The train traveled north and stopped in

Big Shanty, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its 1 ...

for breakfast, and the raiders stole the General and a few cars, intending to tear up track and burn bridges behind them and meet advancing Federal troops."The Great Locomotive Chase" by Harper Harris
/ref> After a chase described in Great Locomotive Chase, the raiders ran out of fuel near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and were captured. As a civilian, Campbell was tried and convicted of being an unlawful combatant. He was hanged with six others June 18, 1862 at the corner of Fair Street (now Memorial Drive) and South Park Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia. His hanging was described : "Five only remained dangling in the air; for two of the seven, Campbell and Slavens, being very heavy men, broke the ropes, and fell to the ground insensible. In a short time they recovered, and asked for a drink of water, which was given them. Then they requested an hour to pray before entering the future world, which lay so near and dark before them. This last petition was indignantly refused, and as soon as the ropes could be adjusted, they were compelled to re-ascend the scaffold, and were again turned off!"Pittinger 1863 : pp. 189-190 Campbell was buried nearby, and his remains were removed April 25, 1866 to

Chattanooga National Cemetery Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as o ...

, near the Ohio Memorial, (Section G, grave No. 11,180). Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton awarded the first

Medals of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. Th ...

to several of the raiders. As a civilian, Campbell was not eligible. Jeff York played Campbell in the Disney movie ''

The Great Locomotive Chase ''The Great Locomotive Chase'' is a 1956 American adventure western film produced by Walt Disney Productions, based on the Great Locomotive Chase that occurred in 1862 during the American Civil War. Filmed in CinemaScope and in color, the ...

''.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, William Hunter 1839 births 1862 deaths American people convicted of spying for the United States by the Confederate States of America Executed spies People of Ohio in the American Civil War People from Carroll County, Ohio Burials in Tennessee Executed people from Ohio Civilians killed in the American Civil War People executed by the Confederate States of America by hanging 19th-century executions of American people Great Locomotive Chase Civilians who were court-martialed

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