Streight’s Foiled Raid on the Western & Atlantic Railroad: Emma Sansom’s Courage and Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Pursuit

In the spring of 1863, Union colonel Abel D. Streight sought to raid and destroy parts of the vital span of the Western and Atlantic Railroad in north Georgia with his mule-riding infantry brigade. Determined to thwart the potentially deadly attack, Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest fervently pursued Streight’s forces. With the help of unlikely ally fifteen-year-old Emma Sansom of Gadson, Alabama, Forrest falsely convinced Streight he was vastly outnumbered, foiled the raid and forced Streight’s surrender. Brandon H. Beck details Streight’s dubious plan and the exciting story of a running battle between hunter and quarry that colors history from the hills of northeast Mississippi to the heart of Georgia.