The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-04
A TOUCHING STORY OF THE CONFED.
ERATE WAR,
Extract from speech Of Gen. Cullen A. Battle,
at Tuscumbia1

tial of the Army of Norther Virginia On
bleak December morning, while the snow GOV
cred the ground and the winds howled arount
our camp, lett my bivouac fire to attend thu
session of the court. Winding for miles alons
uncertain paths, at length arrived at thu
court ground at Round Oak Church Da,
after day it had been our duty to try the gal
liant soldiers Of that army, charged with viola
tons OF military law, but never had on any
previous occasion been greeted by such anx
ious spectators as on that morning awaited the
opening of the court Case after case was dis
posed of, and at length the case Of g The Con.
federate States VS.. Edward Cooper" was
called charge, desertion. A low murmu1
rose spontaneously from the battle-scarred
spec .ators, rs a young artilleryman rose from
the prisoners bench, and in response to the
question, Guilty, or Not Guilty." answered,
mot Guilty
The Judge Advocate was proceeding to
open the prosecution when the court, OBJ
serving that the prisoner was unattended by
counsel, interposed and enquired of the ac-
cused, ''Who is your COUNSEL" He replied,
II have no counsel" Surprising that it was
his purpose to represent himself before the
court. the Judge Advocate was instructed to
proceed. Every charge and specitca'i ion
! against the prisoner was sustained. The
prisoner was then told to introduce his wit
nesses He replied, Il have no wit lesses. :"
| Astonished at the caluness with which he
| seemed to be submitting to what be regarded
| as inevitable fate, l said to him. "Have you
| no defence? Is it possible that you abandoned
your comrades and deserted your colors in
the presence of the enemy without any rea-
son p He replied, "There was reason, but
it will not avail me before military court ;"
l said perhaps you are mistaken you are
charged with the highest crime known to
military law, and it is your duty to make
known the causes that influenced your
actions"
For the first time his manly form tremoled,
and his blue eyes swan in tears. Approach
ing the President of the court he presented
letter, saying as he did SO, "there General, is
what did ii" I opened the letter, and in o
moment my eyes filed with tears. 1t was
passed from one to another Of the court, until
all had seen it, and those stern warriors who
had passed with Stonewall jackson through a
hundred battles, wept like little children
Soon as sufficiently recovered my selfpos-
session, l read the letter as the defense of the
prisoner. 1t was in these words
BY Dear El,card-I have always been proud
OF you, and since your connection with the
Confederate army l have been prouder of you
than ever before. 1 would not have you do
anything wrong for tho world but before
God, Edward, unless you come home we must
die Last night was aroused by little Ed
dies crying. | called and said, whats the
matter, Eddie?" and he said, ooh. mama,
m SO hungry! And Lucy, Edward, your
darling Lucy, she never complains, but she is
growing thinner and thinner every day. And
before God, Edward, unless you come home
we must die Your MARY.
Turning to the prisoner, l asked, "What
did you do when you received this letter." He
replied: 81 made application for fur!ough and
it was rejected, again l made application and
it was rejected; a third time l made applica-
ton and it was rejected, and that night as l |
wandered backward and forward in the camp |
thinking of my home, with the mild eyes of
Lucy looking up to me, and the burning |
words OF Mary sinking in my brain, was no
longer the Confederate soldier, but was the
father Of Lucy and the husband OF Mary, and
would have passed those lines if every gun
in the battery had fired upon me. went to
my home. Mary ran ont to meet me, her angel
arms embraced me; and she whispered, %!
Edward, l am so happy! 1 am SO glad you
got your furlough! She must have felt me
'hudder, for she turned pale as death, and
catching her breath at every word, she said,
have you come without your furlough? o,
Edward, Edward go back go back! Let me
md my children 60 down together to the
grave. but o, for heavens sake, save the
honor of our name?' And here l a gentle
men. not brought here by military power, but
n obedience to the command of Mary, 10
hide the sentence of your court
Every officer of that court martial felt the {
orce of the prisoners words Before them
TODD, III beatic vision, the eloquent pleader
II 4 husbands and fathers wrongs; but i
hey had been trained by their great leader, {
robert E. Lee, to tread the path of duty,
hough the lightning's flash scorched the
round neath. their feet. and each in his
urn pronounced the verdict, guilty. Fortu-
ately for humanity, fortunately for the Con-
ederacy, the proceedings of the conrt were g
eviewed by the Commanding General. and
pom the record was written: q
HEADQUARTERS A. n. V.
The finding Of the court is approved The ,
risoner is pardoned, and will report to his =
r. E. LEE, General /
During the second battle OF Cold Harbor, t
hen shot and shell were falling like tor {.
ents from the mountain cloud" my at!en- 7
on was directed to the fact that one of our i
arteries was being silenced by the concen- q
.ated fire of the enemy. When l reached r
1e battery eve4 gun but one had been dis b
lantled, and by it stood a solitary Confed- u
rate soldier, with the blood streaming from t
is side. As he recognized me, he elevated n
10 VINCE HDoFe tue IOtT Oh DAtSo, ana Sa1O, | Il
General, l have one shell left; tell me, have c
saved the honor of Mary and Lucy?" l c
Used my hat. Once more Confederate
lell went crashing through the ranks of the a
,emy, and the Eslo sank by his gun to rise 4
0 more. n
Heaven knows my countrymen, l loved
lat lost cause, but this in which We are now f
lgased is no less sacred. We will do our
hole duty in this campaign, and, If need be, 81
the moment Of DEATH fire the last shot in a
l6pattery for the honor of Mary and Lucy
PoETRAH OF GuzoT. Small, thin and frail
body, he appeared thinner from the habit T
wearing long brown frock coat. In the T
pei of his coat he wore the ribbon of the g,
egion fHonneur. His hair was silve,ed. h
e face full Of life and brightness, with dark
ay eyes tHat looked earnestly at you from in
lder his black velvet skull cap. A dry man b,
earnest mind, keen rather than wioe, with v,
1t the slightest trace of Eumor An admira- &
e face, sculptured by time, that had hol-