Stewartstown, October 14, 2000

The crowds are milling around. A Federal marshal is showing a picture of a wanted man to the train passengers, asking if any of them have seen the man in the photograph. Little did they know that that very man was among them! Also among the train's passengers were 4 Confederate prisoners, on their way to the prison in Elmira, NY. The train pulls up and the prisoners are marched onto the train before the other passengers are boarded. The marshal redoubles his efforts to make sure that all of the passengers see the wanted poster, and he walks through the train showing the picture again, followed shortly by the conductor (collecting tickets, of course!). Then, all hell breaks loose. The wanted man, a Mr. Stecker, pulls a gun on one of the Federals on the train and then frees the Confederate prisoners, a ready-made army for his robbery! He's looking for the Federal payroll! After a few skirmishes on the train, the train is stopped, and a much larger contingent of Confederate raiders boards the train. After several minutes of searching, the payroll is found and all of the Confederates (and their prisoners) leave the train. Gunfire is exchanged with the Federal marshall, and a man is wounded. The Confederates have their loot, and they send their prisoners (and the train) packing.

HISTORICAL NOTE:

Although the train station at Stewartstown was not built until more than a decade after the Civil War, there was, indeed, a train robbery of a Confederate payroll during October of 1864:

CONFEDERATE CAVALRY UNIT ROBS FEDERAL PAYMASTER

OCTOBER 13th, 1864

Money remained a critical commodity in the latter years for the Confederacy. Quite a number of raids were authorized to specifically collect it.

On October 13th, 1864, word had leaked of a federal paymas- ter traveling with a passenger train into Kearneyville. One unit of Confederate cavalrymen were focused on intercepting this valuable moneybox.

General John Singleton Mosby and a band of partisan rangers derail this passenger train near Kerneyville, Virginia, and take $173,000.00. They set the train afire as they make an escape into the hills of Virginia.

The train station at Stewartstown.

The train station at Stewartstown.

Lieutenant Dausch, a Prussian visitor and innocent bystander during the train raid.

Mr. Stecker, not a very innocent bystander.

Private Bell, one of the gallant Confederate raiders.

Miss Stuart, a gentle southern lady looking for her lost brother.

Yankees! Private Nichols, Vidhya Nichols, Mrs. Fake, "Sergeant" Fake.

For more photos of the Stewartstown Train Raid, click here.

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