Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-09-28

muor crimes. to those committed by sAe elk el,s
red to-
10, Aud did you ever hear an intelligent and !
honest man, either military OF ciyI lie, ie-
pToaeh h,n therefor
A. L. CAMPBELL
Extract Of letter ftom Col. Il. e. Euss-i 10 Nal
A. l. Campbell, dated July -, 1927.
q Your letter of yesterday date reques,l n: me
10 answer sixteen interogatories, explanatory of
the mu,iny, dessrtiou. trial. convection and exc
cution OF some militia, Ia 1915, SC. Sc. was re-
ceivet last night, and shall ANEW them in the
order IN which you have put them.
To the l-,. answer that was the Colonel
of the IL Reg OF infanIy at the time six militia
and regular soldier shot, near Mobile
in 10 pursuant 10 the sentence oil a Court Mar
tisi, Apr ov ed BY Gen. Jackson, then at New Or
leans. which agreeably 10 his order, carried
into ELECT under my superintendence, in presence
OF all the troops then of du'y; but Major Gen.
Melniosh vi the Georgia militia, the
rhanding officer OF that wing OF the forces under
Gen. Jackson's orders, and no, me. Among the
men which were executed, there was a man nam
med Harris.
J 81. II was said aud believed, that Ilarr.s, and
one or two o,hegr, O the six that shot, were
hired substitutes, tor the term for which the reg-
ment had been drafted anu n.asieIel and that was
six months.
18th S 9th. While the prisoners were coniiue,l,
they might have written without the Knowledge Of
any but the guard. The privilege of writing,
I believe, never denied To In their sIua
/ ton. II is, however, unlikely that Harris any
! oil the others addressed Gen. Jackson TO spare his
or their lives-f0r they did not know what the
result OF their trial was, before the PRONUNCIATION OF
The sentence, which was accompanied by order
TO be carried into effect in few days afterwards
80 that a letter could not have reached Gen. Jack
SON from Harris before the time appointed for his
.eXecu,iou. But 10 allow that Harris did wtiie TO
! the General, to have paid any attention it,
would have betrayed weakness and lnlecision
| IN him, that in the then position of affairs, might
have beeh productive of fatal c1nseGuenc Tor
we had no k1owiedge IF treaty Of peace having
been signed at Cheat till more thIn a month af-
ter the approval of the sentence, and Is 20
days after It's execu;i IA. at such tiu.c, the
least relaxation in discipline might have proved
rn'nous TO The country.
! u. Harris a SORT of Il preacher of that de-
| nomination csied Baplis,s. IL. was in pa olession
saint, and in really (under .urh garb OF sanc-
] tiiy, with Great rreiensohs To learning and know
| eise) in;schi-vous inau enough amongst more
| ignorant people than himself
| /. Mutiny and deseIiion the highest crimes
known to the law for the government OF the army.
! 8. The evidence In support of the charges
Sanst the militia was positive, and Tree nom a
shadow oil doubt. They committed The offence in
broad day light; in the presence of the troops that
remained faithful, the agents oil the contractor and
every body on the ground.
y. They Were without Justification or excuse,
though long they hoped for life, they aIIedget
listed TO mold them To service more than ;Smontts,
IN which they had been tanned by the opinions
of some of their officers However, before their
execution they abandoned this excuse a. they
knew beter-anj said that those officers who en-
courased them TO the fatal deed ,ough ~ die as ell
they.
10. When The muny and deseriion took place
al Fort Jackson, believe that the Brtieh force
afterwards Iepulsei by he garrison on Mobile
Point, IN the attack on that place, had show ed
hen lives in S,a,, 6
cola; and probably II. Gel Nichols had issued his
aiding proclamation, to The people of Louis
lana and elsewi here and that time the regular
force IN Mississippi and Louisiana consisted Of the
ID 3D. 3th and S:h regiment OF infantry (nonc #
them but iIttie Are than hall full, and some not
that, detacbmen of the 2ih and Ilth with
lew companies Of artillery, aud the militia uader
PIpkin, 10 which The HIutine-Is belonged. AT the
time OF the trial, the intended invasion of the
country conidei TO the care OF General .c., on
was krOyvG and such measures as the stale Of the
na,ion's resources would allow, have been nut IN
acquisition to oppose II; aud al the time the H. en-
were shot The B!iish forces, that had been driven
from before New Orleans. had taken the fort q,
NJ obe FONT, had received a reinforcement of 7 ,
or 1910 hundred men, unil-r C.I. Bell and had
every thing IN readiness 20 up. No.hiny
prevented them, bit adverse Winds which contin-
ued uh'i the treaty of peace was received. 10
prevent advantage or surprise, system Of vigil
lance as adopted surd TO the occasion, and ~ e
were as well prepared az it possible with III
men and means TO oppose them. Ihls was the
precise state Of the opposing forces, when Harris
AMI i've more OF lie ringleadeTs Of the nutiny aud
deseriien, with one regular soldier, Egho slept Oh
his post, shot From whai saw Of the
British, ~ lug OF DsupbIn Island and the Point OF
Mobile, where was seat with flag of truce
their force more numerous Ia II ours theu's
consisted OF old troops, ours mostly Of militia from
Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi, with but lew
regular infantry and artillery. and or 700 Chick
AsaV5 Choctaws, aid Creeks
III, l2,lJ AT the same time that Harris s. the
other five principal Offenders were tried and found
guilty, think 1872 more were convicted and
from facts disclosed the trial, those were only
consideFed as the followers OF the sentenced -
suiieT death anil 10 be let OF by having their
heads hall shaved, 10 foGie The pay due them and
be drummed or turned out Of Tic lines. DO not
recoiect that the court recommended that The G en-
eFai should remit The Punishment or not, but he did
reuIt that part OF the sentence which imposed tie
use OF Ihe rfzor, II nothing more.
IL In the then stste OF things, az before descT5
cd, thought not, and never entertain any
other option, the execution Of the whole pose
although painful to behold, noibirg more IN ,n
due administration OF Justice; Dor did e. er hear
1t doubted or questioned, till in the sumner o!
le2 !, wien the whole affair was 50 perverted and
mlsTepTesenied, that stranger, ii lac believed the
tale, must have thought that the Geaefal and all
his officers delighted IN shedding innocent blood for
amusement. | felt bound to correct the sL.ufd
story, when and wherever / heard il, and have
all avs continued to do So
10 and 10. la The Of 1911, Gnder thu
orders OF Maj. Gen. Pnckney, sOU4e men were
shot, for sleeping post aud deseijiOu On.
was pardoned, md one more wo'id have been
shot, bad hs not died Of fever before tie day Of
execution arrived For this mn bla.,. ,..s -