119-hr763

[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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