Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-09-15
FROM GEN. LEES ARMY.
rRus OUR nWN CUGRESroEDEST
Army OF NoRTugRN Va,

tipn was the Death penalty visited Oh ;,' llany
rs ten dcscrters at one time The condemned
men who thus atoned for the crime Of aban
loning their country standards had super
added to the crime oc Lesrrtion that Of hav-
Ing killed tie officer seTt 30 pursue ana to
capture them. They belonged Il Company II,
; Third North Carolina Resimrnt, Strrlrt's Bri-
/; aahe, Johnsun's Division, Ewcll's Corps. and
! will be remembered as the men who killed
, Adj I Mallctt, near Scottsvllr. Va. some time
since. They were taken io Richmond, where
they were tried aud sentenced, and from
which point they were sent to their old Giiyi
, sion To be executed. Their names were Fran
els Bum, James Ellis. W. II KELLEY, Il. D..
! Clarke, john K. Bled>Gc, John l.. Rainer,
John Futch, Henry Prirot, B. Bumn. and Dor
scy Bum.
The condemned arrived here Oh Friday
evening by the up train, and We're immcdiatc-
; ly carried under guard 10 the provost guard
! tent OF J0hmsur's division, where they re-
manned until brought. Oh Yesterday, forth f!r
! execution. Alter their arrival they were
| visited very constantly ~ the Protestant
| Priest of the regiment, Rev. Mr.. Patterson.
who administered to them in sacred things
and baptiscd them just previous to the
EXEcrTIoS.
! which, as some of your readers ilayc, rcr-
! hups. never seen, will attempt to describe {:
| On my arrival IL the srG. :c!c,icd for this
dreadful, though necessary work, which was
! in All open field surrounded on nj sides by
woods, found the whole of Jrlinson'S divi-
| sion drawn mp without arms in t!irC" sides Ci
| IL square, with faces fronting inwariS and To-
| wards the stakes, which were placed on the
| line Of the fourth SIDE, and ut intervals Of
about twenty feet apart. After IL slIors: :ntcr-
v:ll Gen. johnson and staff made their mp
| pearance and took y position by the side Of
! the camp colors, which were planted about the
! centre Of the square. Another interval Of -
! or 20 minutes. and the sound Of slow and sui
| len music is heard. Turnim. my eyes in the
direction whence the Suund proceeded and
! there could he seen the Ionmed men march.
| in@ slowly to tn" spot whrrc thrv were tn
! yield up their lives. On they come.
, with measured and solemn tccad-iirst the
| music, then the condemned, and next,
| and lastly, the guards and cxecut!Oncrs with
| their bright guns and layonets glis,cning in
| the splendid light Of declining September
sun. One side of the square is parted and
| this grim procession enters and moves I" the
| fatal stakes, which, Being reached the col
umn is halted; and then the reverend clergy
| man Mrs. Patterson offers up Il feeling pray
! cr. This concluded, and csch prisoner is ia
| ken in charge BY two men and led tn the
| stake at which lie is 10 be executed, where he
| is fixed in knecling posture, his back against
| the stake and his arms pinlOncd behind HIM
/ to plank board, which is attached to the
] back and near the top Of each stake. The
| bandages are next adjusted over the eyes
and their hats placed over these handages.-
/ Thus pinioned and placed with their faces to
| the eXecutlonerS, and Eot their backs, us is
commonly supposed. these condemned men are
left There is n hiat"s Of but Il moment, in
| which the condemned are heard TO give utter
anre to such expressions ~ Lord have mer-
cy" "Oh, my poor mother" and '.oh save
me, save me - Quickly, however, tlic cxecu-
five with loaded and FIVE with un!oalel mus
kcis. They take their respective POSITIONS
each squad Just fourteen Iret from the man
whom they are to fire at. A moment more
and Major Wood, of the 311th Virginia, field
officer Of tic day, gives the commands, "rca-
| dy," ''uinl." and th"n at the word fire, an ir-
regular vollcy salutcs the ear with its harsh,
! grating sound, and ns the smoke clears away
il is discovered that ali Of the condemned have
not been killei-somc are Omlv wounded ar,l
then the most revolving part ol the whole ai-
lair transpires. The reserves, Of Which there
were two to each squad. are ordered up. and
| they have 20 kill those whom the rolley has
4 LODI Siy ht
| shots are fired in this way. showing that pro-
bably some "nc 1T least had to he arcd
nc probably ~ often as three times. At
length the work is dore, and ten dead
bodies, with motionlcss heads hanging
lifeless over and upon bosoms that cease
to tirub, are all that remain 0i the ten
living creatures who but a few moments be-
| fore walked up To those stakes. The penalty
{! is paid, the law is averaged, nr'l crowd oi
witnesses have been to sec it we'll done. The
l troops are now made to march in double files
around these ten dead bodies until the entire
division has thus passed. When the troops
| have all passed silently and without arms, as
thcy came on the ground by these sad cxhibi.
lions. to their respective camping places, ten
white plank collins are brought, and the
| bodies nr the unf0rtunatcS are placed in them
and taken to Christian burial, there 70 await
the general judgment. / suppose ~ the con-
male Il profession of religion. ] ain It'd that
they were in tears nearly the entire day Of
the execution. Let thcr sad end prove Il
warning, and may it deter all who, at any
time, NAV be disposed TO follow in their lead
The troops who were present Us spectators
seemed deeply moved, and | cannu; bur be,
al. 4
salutary in. :e over TIE entire army, and
check every % .lency towards desertcn in tic
future.
MORE YANSLE rRTs' HrRs.
| have several times Of Ia" had to rccorl
the doings of Whites Battali"', # Cavalry
Yesterday part Of this same .'rrc surprised
Il detachment of the enemy's r.svary between
Munassus Gap and Warrcn:un. sillins oGr ant
capturing twenty-One Of IT, III. Of which iact
/ advised you hy telegraph. Surprising. tha
the reader, like myself, Is aaHious to know
who this unknown hero" is who commands
this battalion OF brave men, have taken som'
pains to enquire and have been kindl furnish
cd the following as hi, history: Hi
name is Elijah White, and lie halls from
Loudoun county, where he is better known
~ "Lge White" lie is about hrcJny
seren years old. AMI e-.tcred this wa
as a private Of the Loudoun Cavalry. ;,n,
here remained until after the first BATH
of Manassas. Shortly after this he obtained
leave and made an expedition into Maryland
which resulted in the capture Of the surgeon
of Lincoln's body guard. After the battle q
.fT=aassas hejoined Turner Ashby's command
T. with whom he remained until the battle O
r Lcesburg, when, for his distinguished ga!lan
try, he was recommended by Evans, Iiunton
r Barksdale, and tI.~ ,,iher officers then AM
there engaged, g. captainey, in considera
tiur, of his g. nv in that tirht which rf