Engine Thieves: The Andrews Railroad Raid of 1862

On April 12, 1862, charismatic Union agent James Andrews and his band of raiders stole the train powered by the locomotive "The General" from under the noses of approximately 3,000 Confederate soldiers in training at Big Shanty (Kennesaw), Georgia. Their risky mission was to cut telegraph wires, burn railroad bridges, and damage tracks between Atlanta and Chattanooga, thereby cutting off communications, reinforcements, and supplies between the two cities. This was while Union General Mitchel was advancing with his forces on Chattanooga with the goal of capturing it and splitting the Confederacy in two. The raiders were to force their way through Confederate railroad stations and even travel through Chattanooga to meet advancing Union forces at Bridgeport!

Engine Thieves tells the story of this daring Civil War raid. Play as Union raiders in a single-player game, as you race against time and the Confederate soldiers on your heels to reach Bridgeport. In two-player, one of you will play as the Confederates and try to prevent your opponent from reaching Bridgeport or at least minimize their destructive sabotage. Follow the adventure and the true path these raiders took in their daring drive north!

As a single player commanding Andrews and the Union raiders, you must accumulate at least 25 Victory Points by burning bridges, cutting telegraph wires, damaging tracks, taking the stolen train to Bridgeport, and defeating any Confederate units standing in your way, all while minimizing the raiders' losses. Reaching Bridgeport is a top priority, as without this achievement, General Mitchel will likely call off his attack on Chattanooga. Otherwise, Mitchel may not be aware of the raiders' successes!

The game ends when the Raiders player passes through Chattanooga and reaches Union General Mitchel in Bridgeport, must abandon the stolen train, all Raiders are killed or captured, or the clock reaches 4:00 PM.

In the two-player version of the game (which was not included in the Print-on-Demand edition), as the Confederate player your goal is to prevent the Raiders from accumulating Victory Points by relentlessly pursuing them, causing casualties, minimizing their ability to carry out sabotage, and preventing them from reaching Bridgeport before the end of the game.