, 1863-09-03
EXECUTION OF DESERTETsg,

At present be is in the military prison on
Myrtle street, but will soon be transferred OF
Alton. ".
EXECUTION OF DEsEnTEns.
A Solemn and Impressive Scene.
4 day Or two since We etatcd that seven de-
sertcrs from the Army Of the Potomac had
been court martia1ed and sentenced to be
shot. The New York Herald furnishes the
following impressive description Of tho
Ectne:
As soon as the Sd brignde had passed where
the condemned were, the following process
sion walked forward with steady stcp. A
Sergeant and sixteen men Of the Andrew
shArrpsEooters {Smfth's former comradcs).
In double lines. two collins, each borne on
the shoulders Of four men guard Of honor,
{e}ght men and Sergeant J and dcp1oyed
guard Of eight sklrnisherB, y It'll loaded mus
Eets and fixed bayonets, the latter acting for
the double purpose Of preventing the escape
Of the prisoners and keeping the Gro nd, which
followed behind, from pressing too closely.
When opposite the barn the procession halt
ed, and in another moment the commander Of
the provost guard, Lieut.. Black, advanced,
followed by three men. The center Of the
party was the Rev. Mr. Collins, chaplain Of
the I'D Pcnngy lyania, who SO faithfully at
tended the unfortunate jesse Mayberry from
his death. On each sldc Of The Christian
man were the condemned Both walked
with slow aud steady step, Smith
having his right arm through the
Chalaain's left, willie Hill walked On the other
siae, unsupported: II The % thseo stepped in the s
Of honor, wien The Provost Commander took
his position few PAGES In the advance Of the
riaeucn. The band Of the brigade to which
the prisoners belonged had halted On the rise
OF the hill. Capt. Wood was in tho advance
Of the baud, and when the party arrived with
moved, for the funeral procession was nov
complete.
Jutt before reaching the brow Of the hill, a
halt Was ordered, the collins were lowered
upon the ground, and before the eyes Of the
p1aeonera and the hundreds around, the fol-
loving impressive scene WAS enacted:
Tho Sergeant of the Sharpshooters stepped
behind his men, and Lieut.. Black marched to
the 1ear Of him, the Sharpshootcrs, in two
lbes Of eight each, standing mo:iouless as
the hill, ordered arms: TEe Sergeant then
quietly took one gun ut d time and handed it
to the officer, who rs quietly loaded 1t, when
it Was returned to the Sergeant, who gave it
into the hands tf the owner. This ceremony
was gone through with until the whole were
Ing blink cartridge. This explains the mys-
terry Of the ceremony; Tor each 1nan eau in
dulge the hope that it Taa his gun that re-
ceived this cartridge. Fourteen out Of the
sixteen only we're ordered to fire, two being
held in reserve.
Alta motion the cof1ins wore raited again
uron the shoulders of the bearers, and Us the
oIler to march was given the band struck UP
tie solemn notes Of I" The Dead March,"
Still the prisoners walked on with a firm step
AID erect heads, Smith occasionally speaking
to 'he ehapsin IN loT r., Xoies, or eas.ng
Of any consequence, AID from his counte-
narce nothing more than usual could be read.
The procession slowly marched through tho
opening in the line, aud advanced into tho
square, the band and rife,nen turning when
within my yards Of the grav~s. and .narahinE
to the rear. The men bearing the coff1us con
tinued on and lowered them to the earth,
placiDg one leDgthwise between tho mounds
Of Garth, and the other near the head Of tho
first, cIoaswise to the head Of the former, and
prisoners advanced, the chaplain still between
them, aud the two former Eat side By side
upon the coffin, while the guard Of honor
halted At J eho1t distance.
III moment Capt Wood dismounted aud
stood between the 1i1emen and the coz
deuned. The latter stood up, and the reading
Of Ill the ordern took place The chaplain
then rad from the Scrip :urcs the fourth chap
ter Of the Second Corinthians, commencing
at the seventeenth verse. and continuing TO
to the fifth chapter and sixth yerse.
4 short prayer then followed, Smith taking
of his esp anu holding It re1ercntly to the
left side Of the head, while Hill kept Ills on.
After this the chaplain shook both the pris-
orer's bands warmly and passed to the r1ght
about ten PAGES.
Lent. Black now ndyenced}with two white
haDdkerchiefs; approaching. Smith fist, he
nd 80 ,f11A S,f %t&ar1 fvox
eyes, Us both men laid their caps upon the
G. fin. While Lieut.. Black was thus en-
gagged, Hill quietly uubuttoned Ids coat, took
It of and hid It upon the ground By this
| time the handkerchief was bound over Smith g
| eyes, anu Lieut.. Black commenced to taston
sui.h h unbottoned and took oil his coat As
! calmly ~ the other.
| The men now knelt before the cot1ns, when
Lieut.. Black shook them BY the hand, and
seme time giving the command, "Rcady-
aim''-and then Instantly, before the word
"tjre'' could be given, tbs rifles had be1ched
forth their contents In one report, md the
| e. me instant the two unfortunate men fell
forward, Smith on tho left and Hill on the
right. The former lay motlonlcss on hif
back, at full length, With his arms partly
folded oyer bis breast; the mouth opened and
sLuta few times, heave and sigh folio ned
a1d he WAS dead Between tho time thai
Lieut.. Black shook him by tie hand and the
firing Of tho yol1ey, he 1aised both his arm.
to Heaven, and, casting up his face, exclaimed
twice, "Oh! God, have mercy upon usl''
Hill said nothing that I could hear at t1ll
] time.
For few seconds after the volley he re-
NAMED perfectly still, and 1t being supposed
that both were dead, the military were about
moving OF, when he commenced to Writhe,
and this continuing for ovcr minute, one o1
the reserved eharpahpoters nus ordered up,
lie presented his piece and shot him through
the head, the ball passing through and ca6s.
i1g tho brain to ooso out on the grass. He
etill continued writhing, when the other was
ordered to IRE. he did so, and and another
It may eeem. 1t WAS full two minutes before
Life WAS extinct
And now I will close with II warning to
thcee now in the army and those who may
enter It. Take Smiths advice, "Do not de-
cert, no matter what your Intentions are fol
doing eo.' for the sentence for desettion is
always death.
Though uearly every deEerter that Ia
known up to the present time has been re.
| Termination Of all officers to intlfct upon de.
eertere and others the full punishment Of the
sentence.
To the substitutes who have before de-
serted I have only to esy that they are run.
ming fea1ful risk. There is constant
| search for these men In the army. and once
recognized their fate is eealcd for no one
has any sympathy or mercy for those who
have once deserted and again entered the
army as substitutes. Their sentence Ia death
and no 1epriere.
The Great Thunder Mountain.
| The n. 7. Herald Of Monday furnishes the