The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-04-08
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR is DUE.
The Brave Soldiers Engaged In the
Famous Raid into Georgia,
-rrm tho Washington Chrpnicla. |

soldiers who belonged to the squad of t%en-
ty-two men sent into Georgia by the lament.
cd Major General q. NJ. Mitchell, one year
ago on the eth proximo. We are glad tO
be able TO present TO our readers this morn.
ing some incidents which occurred ycst"r-
day, of tho most pleasing and interesting
character
For the past two or three days these gen
tlcmeu have been before Joseph Holt, Judge
Advocate General, and Major General
Hitchcock, giving a detailed account of
their expedition into Georgia, tho time and
manner Of their capture, and their treat
mcnt by the rebel authorities.
Tho expedition originally consisted of
twenty-five men, selected from the Second.
Twenty first, aud Thirty-third Ohio regi-
mcnts Only one man was taken from n
company. and he was chosen because he
was considered the most reliable for the duty
which was expected of him. They dressed
III citizens clothing, and avoided all
rebel camps, and made their way to Mari
eta, Georgia, n short distance above Allen
town, on the Western Railroad, connecting
the latter city with Chattanooga. At an
eating-hOusc few miles above Marietta,
while passengers were getting meal, one
of the party acting as engineer, they seized
| tllC Alulu Nhu Hiduc llShbllllS hItCu W Nnut-
tanooga. In passing stations they only
slackened up httlo--tolling those Congre.
gated there that they had munitions of war
for the army in Virginia and were in con-
sequence compelled to mako tho utmost
speed. Unfortunately the telegraph wires
were not cut in time, and when the wood
and water gave out they were necessitated
to abandon tho train. They took to the
bushes, but were subsequently captured
and taken to Atlanta.
Seven of the members of tho expedition
were tried, convicted and hung. In their
examination, they established that they had
not been in tho vicinity of any rebel camp ;
that, although they dressed in citizcns'
dress, they did no more than they had
known hundreds Of rebel soldiers to de- in
Tennessee, and who were treated, when
captured as prisoners of war. They laid
before Colonel Holta copy of the Atlanta
Confederacy containing the proceedings of
the trial of their comrades.
The rebel authorities treated them with
the greatest indignity and outrage. The
most determined anxiety was manifested by
them to elicit the name of the party who
had acted M engineer. To that end they
took Jacob Parrott, one of the soldiers, who
is only twenty years of age. stripped him.
and gave him ono hundred lashes. This is
the punishment usually inflicted on such of
the Southern slaves as may be accused of
offcnses of which there is no proof; and
this is tho means by which many of this un-
fortunate class of humanity arc constrained
to confess to the commission of crimes of
which they are AZ innocent as the child un-
born. But in Jacob PARROT the cowhide
found one who dehed its power. Although
each stripe cut road of blood across his
back, he would neither disclose to them the
regiment to which he belonged nor tho name
of the gentleman who had driven the
engine on the expedition which came near
being so very disastrous to the rebels.
The dcath-warrant of these patriots was
signed by General lcdbetter who WAS in
command at Chattanooga at the time, and
indorsed by Gen. f. Kirby Smith. They
were given no notice AZ to the time of their
execution. They were executed with the
expedition that people would shoot 4 dog
with thei hydrophobia. Two of the men,
weighing over two hundred pounds broke
the rope and fell to the ground. They ear
ncstly demanded only one hour, to be Who'll.
! ly devoted to prayer, but the inhuman
agents oilthe internal order were inexorablo,
and the men were again mounted on the
scaffold as soon as the rope could be ad-
justed.
When the rebel Secretary of War was
notified that Seren of tho prisoners were eX-
ecutcd he telegraphed back, inquiring why
they had not all been executed? After
wards this same Secretary denied to our
Government that any Of these men had
been hung.
Early yesterday morning, Mr.. James C..
| "a, tota A Gorl f.
ed that Secretary Stanton desired visit
from the returned heroes, Accordingly, as
soon as their evidence before the Judge
| Advocate General had been revised and
qualified to, Mao General Hitchcock and
Mr.. Wetmore accompanied them to tho
War Office in a body.
They were received by Secretary Stanton
with cordiality and simplicity as only oc-
cur in our own Government. Numbers OF
military and civil dignitaries were anxious
ly awaiting outside to see Mr.. Stanton, but
were required to wait until tho patriotism
of these heroic soldiers had been commend
ed, and their merit awarded. Nr. Stanton
familiarly shook each one of them by the
hand, and introduced them to Secretary
Chase and Andrew Johnson He then in a
conversational and unreserved style, ad-
dressed Mr.. Parrott, the gallant soldier who
had been ignomoniously cowhided by the
rebels, informing him that he had heard of
his persistent devotion to his flag under
tho most trying circumstances, and appre-
ciated his merit. Secretary Stanton (open-
ing a morocco casc) further informed Mr..
Parrot that " Congress had authorized him
to present medals to such soldiers, as shall
by their brave deeds prove that they de-
serve them. None of these medals have
yet been awarded to any soldiers, and
now present you with the first one that has
been issued by authority of the late act y
The Secretary then presented each one OF
Mr. PARROTS companions with like medal
When the surprised recipients of these
honorable badges had warmly thanked the
donor, they were completely taken aback
by the Secretary presenting each one OF
them with a hundred dollars, with the re-
mark that that was an additional testimonial
of his respect for them, and very slight
remuneration for their sufferings.
Secretary Stanton rquested Mr., Wetmore
to ask Governor Tod in his name, to appoint
each one of these gentlemen patriots to a
first lieutanancy in such regiments as there
may now exist vacancies. II there are no
such vacancies, he assured them that he
would brevet each of them first lieutenants
in the regular army. The soldiers remained
for some time in conversation with the
Secretary and other gentlemen present, all
of whom received valuable information in
relation to the practices of the rebel au-
thorities.
President Lincoln having requested the
soldiers to pay him visit, on taking leave
of the War Office, they went directly to the
White House, with General Hitchcock and
Nr. Wstmore, where they were received
with exceeding warmth of feeling by the