James J. Andrews and William H. Campbell Congressional Gold Medal Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 763 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 763

 To posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to
   James J. Andrews and William H. Campbell in recognition of their
 extraordinary bravery and steadfast devotion to the Nation during the
    Civil War as the only civilian members of Andrews' Raiders, who
   launched a daring military raid that became known as the ``Great
                          Locomotive Chase''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 28, 2025

 Mr. Fleischmann introduced the following bill; which was referred to
 the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee
on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to
   James J. Andrews and William H. Campbell in recognition of their
 extraordinary bravery and steadfast devotion to the Nation during the
    Civil War as the only civilian members of Andrews' Raiders, who
   launched a daring military raid that became known as the ``Great
                          Locomotive Chase''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``James J. Andrews and William H.
Campbell Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) James J. Andrews was born in Holiday's Cove, Virginia
        (now Weirton, West Virginia), in 1829. He eventually moved to
        Kentucky. During the Civil War, Andrews served as a civilian
        spy for the Union Army and was the leader and organizer of
        Andrews' Raiders.
            (2) William Hunter Campbell, born in Carroll County, Ohio,
        on September 9, 1839, was a unique addition to the raid. In
        1862, he was visiting friends with the 2d Ohio Infantry in
        Kentucky when he was unexpectedly recruited for a daring
        mission.
            (3) On March 25, 1862, James J. Andrews developed a plan to
        cut off the Western and Atlantic Rail Line supply line from
        Marietta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to allow the
        Union Army to attack and occupy the city. Andrews presented the
        plan to General Buell and General O.M. Mitchell, commanding the
        Union Army in North Alabama. The plan was accepted, and Andrews
        gathered 22 Union soldiers from 3 Ohio Regiments (2d Ohio
        Infantry, 21st Ohio Infantry, 33d Ohio Infantry). The plan was
        to work from northern Alabama in small groups, dressed in
        civilian clothes, and reach Marietta, Georgia, to gather and
        steal a train. They were to run the train toward Chattanooga,
        cut the telegraph lines, tear up railroad tracks, and, if
        possible, burn the bridges. This would cut off all troop
        movement and supplies from getting to Chattanooga. The capture
        of Chattanooga early in the war would cut off essential
        supplies and food from getting up to Virginia and the
        Confederate Army there.
            (4) On April 12, 1862, 24 volunteers from the Union Army,
        led by civilian scout James J. Andrews, commandeered a
        Confederate locomotive named the ``General'' outside of Big
        Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw), and took it northward toward
        Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the
        vital Western and Atlantic Railroad line as they went. Out of
        fuel, Andrews and his men abandoned the locomotive and
        scattered into the woods before being captured by Confederate
        troops.
            (5) All captured were put on trial and convicted for acts
        of ``unlawful belligerency'' or being unlawful combatants and
        spies. Shortly after that, Andrews and 7 of the Raiders were
        executed by hanging, with the remaining held as prisoners-of-
        war. Andrews' body was taken down from the scaffold and buried.
        On October 16, 1887, his remains were recovered and taken to
        their final resting place at Chattanooga National Cemetery.
            (6) William H. Campbell was hung with 6 of the military men
        on June 18, 1862. In April 1866, these men were relocated and
        interred in Chattanooga National Cemetery.
            (7) On March 25, 1863, 6 members of Andrews' Raiders were
        awarded the first Medals of Honor in our Nation's history.
        Ultimately, 21 of the 24 members of Andrews' Raiders would
        receive the Medal of Honor for their actions on that day. On
        July 3rd, 2024, President Biden awarded the most recent Medals
        of Honor to members of Andrews' Raiders, stating ``Their heroic
        deeds went unacknowledged for over a century, but time did not
        erase their valor''.
            (8) Chattanooga, Tennessee, is recognized as the birthplace
        of the Medal of Honor.
            (9) In 1956, Walt Disney made a movie about Andrews'
        Raiders' exploits called ``The Great Locomotive Chase'',
        starring Fess Parker as Andrews. Buster Keaton's 1927 feature-
        length comedy masterpiece ``The General'' was loosely based on
        the incident.
            (10) Today, the hijacked locomotive, ``General'', is on
        display at The Southern Museum in Kennesaw, Georgia. ``Texas'',
        the locomotive used to give chase, is on display at the Atlanta
        History Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
            (11) The civilians of the Andrews' Raiders, James J.
        Andrews and William Hunter Campbell, acted with extraordinary
        bravery and unwavering devotion to their Nation as they
        attempted to turn the tide of the Civil War.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress,
of a single gold medal of appropriate design collectively in
commemoration of James J. Andrews and William H. Campbell, in
recognition of their extraordinary bravery and steadfast devotion to
the Nation during the Civil War as the only civilian members of
Andrews' Raiders, who launched a daring military raid that became known
as the ``Great Locomotive Chase''.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred
to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the
Secretary.
    (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
            (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
        under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
        Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for
        display as appropriate and made available for research.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
        the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold medal received
        under paragraph (1) available for--
                    (A) display, particularly at the Charles H.
                Coolidge National Medal of Honor Museum; and
                    (B) loan, as appropriate, so that the medal may be
                displayed elsewhere.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the
cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck under this Act are national
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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