Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-03-23
A Solemn Warning to Wives.


A correspondent of the Selma Reporter
relates a circumstance which should serve
as a solemn warning to the wives of sol.
dlers. He says a. few weeks ago a soldier
was tried and. convicted of the crime of
desertion, and sentenced to be shot. The
day for the execution arrived, and at the
appointed hour this brave nan, who had
fought many battles and endured every
kind of hardship, fell a bloody corpse at
the hands of his comrades. Upon inquiry
it was asccrtained he was as true as steel
to our cause, and that it was on account
of his wife that he deserted. He received
a letter from her full Of complaints
Looking alone upon the dark side of the
picture, she had ~magnifed her troubles
and sufferings and earnestly entreated her
husband to return home. He became
restless, discontinued, unhappy. He ceased
to take any interest in the discharge of his
military duties, and thought only of how
he could get home. His solemn oath new
er to desert troubled him much, and he
we'll knew tAe crime of desertion had be-
come so frequent in the army it would be
punished with death. In this state of per-
plexity he drew his wife's letetr from his
bosom and read it again, and shutting his
eyes to the consequences, he deserted!
and for this crime he suffered a bloody
and ignominious death. His wife, now a
widow, knows no peace of mind, but is
constantly haunted with the thought that
her exaggerated representations of her
trials and snfferings caused her husbands
death. Let this case be a lesson to all
wives and mothers. When you write to
the soldier speak words of encouragement /;
cheer their hearts, fire their souls, and
arouse their patriotism. Say nothing that
will emhitter their thoughts, or swerve
them from the path of patriotic duty.
From the Greensboro Patriot.
!. A Wife's Desponding Letter.
EThe following lines were suggested up
, ON reading the above notice of a soldier
being shot for desertion, who was induced
: TO leave the army by a responding letter
from bis wife.1
Oh, how the soldiers ~throbbing heart
Had almost burst in twain,
/ While thinking of that l~ong-oved wife,
He ne'er might see again:
A lettrr cOmes-withi Joyous haste
e He quits his work to read
Words of love and encouragement
In this his hour of need
n watch his face-but ali, I see
No trace of gladness there,
. But, in its stead seems deeply limned
The bae kness of despair;
That gentle wife, who used to chase
All sadness from his brow,
l Has wrecked his hope and pierced his heart
with her complainings now!
What though the world seems cold to herf
What, though she wants him home?
She ought to think the country's laws
Forbid aim now to come:
She should not let him know her wants
Althou-h they many be
For it but fills his loving heart -
With woe and misery.
- He asks for LEAVE to visit home -,
- They grant no BURROUGHS thereF'-
He reads again that letter DER
= 1.-THE dangers | Will dare"
- And, thus the soldier, who has stood ~
AZ The foremost in the fight,
Forsakes the ranks and homeward bends
His fated march that night.
Alas, he is caught-brought back-tried-
r And is condemned to die
A FEW among his soldier friends
- COULD tell the reason why
They saw that letter-heard him read
Each sad, de ponding word,
i And marked tie falling, scaIding tear
20 From it's deep fountain stored.
Dear woman tbs for You we fight
ne For yoa we bravely dare
The piercing cold-the scorching heat
The deadly shafts of war:
Then cheer US up with words Of hope,
And pray that we may live
To share the land for which we fought
Unto our wives 70 gfvef q