National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-12


execution Of the murderer Brice. 1--WE
seen all Of that sort Of thing want to;
one that I witnessed during tho war
satisfied me for all time, and was one that
never will forget If I live to be as old
as Gen. Harvey. In 1864 was serving
the army Of the James, where there
had been an immense number Of cases of
desertion Of bounty jumpers. Those
fellows used to play their game this way
They would enlist up north in some
locality whore big bounties or big amounts
for substitutes were paid, and would get
sometimes as much as $1,000, or may be
more. Well, they would como down to
the front, do every duty right up to tho
handle, and until the game was dropped
TO tho officers would be half tickled to
death at getting such splendid new ma
terial. Most Of them showed that they
mad handled gun, saber, or rifle before.
These fellows were always tho cleanest
and neatest of the troops for guard duty,
and good deal of tho time took orderly
duty on the guard inspection.
well, the game was this: When they
had gained the confidence of officers and
mates. they would quietly wait until the
brigade or regiment went on picket duty
or got into little skirmish limo circus;
and then quietly skip across lots to the
Johnnies, gun, accoutrements, ammu-
milton, and all, and tell there a story, of
being southern born, or, IL of foreign
birth THAT was their safest gag), that
they. were sympathizers with the heroic
southern cause. and had enlisted in the
id blue-bellied Yankee ranks just to
got chance to get through the lines
safely and join the cause they had so close
at heart. They were received with open
arms, for the rebs., to encourage desertion,
had law offering 500 cash to zach de-
serter, and, besides, used to pay In gold
the value OF the munitions of war taken
across the lines. Besides this, they were
not obliged to enter the confederate SER
vice against their will, but were given
civilian employment somewhere by the
government.
of course, they would be sent up to
Richmond when they came from the
army OF the Potomac, James, or the
valley. and there were lionized in o
minor way for their brave devotion to the
cause. What good did it do them? Just
this: After looking round long enough
to get posted and familiar with matters
hey would enlist as substitute for some
rich BANKER or contractor or government
omclai, and get as much as 81 500 to
$1,000 In gold, and be sent to the front,
where they would play the same racket,
and come into our lines as loyal, northern
born men. who had been living south
at the outbreak of the rebellion, unable to
get north. forced into the rebel ranks,
watched and suspected and abused for
loyalty, and could not escape from the
cruel bondage until now, when their id
loyal hearts were almost bursting with
emotion, and tears were streaming down
their lying faces at the sight and embrace
OF the dear old flag that it had broken
.heir hearts to fight against. Dern my
buttons; Two seen those loyal North
CIny' fellows feel SO good over the flag
that 1t made me ashamed of my own
loyalty and devotion to it. Same old
game, all through. Pay for their rebel
arms and equipments, transportation
north. exemption from draft, good work
In the quartermaster's or commissary's
department. until their DID red-hot
loyalty made them go into the army to
help the dear old flag and scoop in an
other big bounty.
Ben Butler wasn't very much of q
general, although he would 60 poking In
under ire every once in while to mako
himself believe he was, but he Is keen
one, and when any one picks him up for
=" hop why VIII hbCcTtbtu buat u RreAU
mistake Of judgment has been made.
After while Gen. Butler, who was com
manding the army of the James in "a,
dropped to the fact that great many
very loyal men were coming into our
lines lat very late period in the war,
and to the whole game. The next time
rebel deserters came into our lines he
gathered them up at his headquarters
and had each ones story reduced to writ
ing by one Of the lot Of lawyers he had on
his staff, and then Mr.. Johnny Reb DE.
serter was marched off to every white
regiment in the 10th or 18th corps and
introduced. In many cases they met
whole regiments full of old acquaint-
inces, and in such cases the smarty was
introduced to u court martial. Court
martial meant sentence of death, and
with Butler commanding that meant q
firing party. a volley, and-no moro de-
sertion.
II don't recollect exactly the date this
thing occurred that / am telling you Of
but it was either tho latter part of De-
cember, '64, or very early in January, '65,
that it happened that fourteen of these
poor devils, who had come to the end of
their game, were collected in the LIST
division, 10th army corps, all waiting
action on their court martial sentences,
Buffers headquarters approving the SEN
tence of death in each case, and ordering
the execution by shooting the very next
day. The necessary orders were at once
issued by Gen. Alfred II. Terry, then the
division commander, and next morning
about 10 o'clock the troops of the com
mand were formed on three sides of a
square in O broad field outside the line of
breastworks, Gen. (now senator) Haw-
ley's brigade facing north, aud the others
facing inward on the right and left.
About the center of the field row OF
fourteen graves had been dug in the
frozen ground, and all was ready for the
execution.
"The day was the most depressing that
have ever seen. Just before, IL had
showed to the depth of perhaps fifteen
inches, and then during all the night be.
fore slow, cold rain had steadily fallen
and was still falling, which had soaked
the snow thoroughly without melting Il
or softening the frozen ground beneath
Some delay caused the troops to stand in
line in deathlike silence for moro than an
hour before the worldly mournful music
of the 'Adeste Fidelis' was heard from the
band, and soon after the long column
slowly filed out from the dark pines over
toward headquarters and approached the
scene. Each wagon contained two of the
condemned men, each sitting upon hi,
own coffin, and the cortege was composed
of the guards, firing parties, and the pro
vost marshal and his aids. On arriving
the collins were taken out and placed be-
fore the row Of graves, and the prisoners
with bound arms placed kneeling upoI
them. Then came the weary reading
of the orders andthe sentence in eact
case, while the dull, gray cloud
still dropped the sullen rain, which
made the official witnesses in WAITING
feel as though it was better to die on sucl
day, because the regret ut leaving lif
was lessened.