Lesley Clifton holding the sword, Mr. Phillip Arnold, and Wanda Prosser holding the replica medal.

The Santa Margarita Chapter was privileged to hear Mr. Phillip Arnold, current attorney, past JAG officer, and avid history buff, tell about William Pittenger, one of the first Medal of Honor recipients and his involvement in the Great Locomotive Chase. Union soldiers captured the “General,” a Confederate locomotive, with the intent of driving it from Marietta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, tearing up tracks and cutting telegraph lines all along the way, thereby disrupting the Confederate supply line. The “General” ran out of fuel and the men were eventually captured. Pittenger wrote a book about the chase which ended up being made into a movie twice. He moved to Fallbrook, California, built a home in 1895, served as a minister for over twenty years, and is buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery with a proper Medal of Honor headstone. Mr. Arnold brought with him the ceremonial sword presented to Pittenger by President Lincoln and a replica of the medal.

Submitted by: Wanda Prosser