The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-12-25
SHOOTING THE DESERTERS,
AN EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENT OF
THE CIVIL WAR.
Execution Of Two Bounty jumpers
One OF Them shot Doad only
After Repeated Efforts,

After Repeated Efforts,
In September, 1863, writes r. +. Gal
wey, in the New York Tribune, the
Third division of the Second corps, in
camp near the Rapidan river had its
first execution. There were two con-
demned; both "bounty- jumpers" who
had enlisted in a regiment of this
division and had escaped after receiving
the advanced bounty, hoping probably
to repeat the game with some other regi-
ment. Early one fine afternoon the
division marched out to the chosen
ground and formed three sides of hol-
low square, the fourth side being a little
ridge. At the foot of the ridge were
two open graves about twelve feet apart.
The division, consisting of about 1000
men, rested in place until the notes of
the dead march were heard. "Attention 7"
was sounded by the bugles, and all was
rigid silence as a procession, composed
of the provost guard surrounding two
two ambulances in each of which one of
the culprits sat on a rough coffin, entered
the square at one of the angles and halted
near the graves. A collin was placed at
the end OF each grave and the two desert
ers were made to stand up in front of the
provost guard, facing the long lines of
attentive Countc Aances of the division.
while the findings of the court martial
and the orders for the execution were
read. After religious services the two
were arranged sitting on their collins,
their eyes bandaged. and their arms
piuioned behind In front of each a
firing party of the provost guard took
position, and the word of command from
the provost marshal was given. One of
the deserters fell back on his coffin, but
only wounded. for he sat up again The
other who was not hit, jumped to his
feet, burst mis- piniors, and snatched
away the white handkerchief from his
eyes. There was a murinu of disap-
proval throughout the division at the
awkwardness of the provost guard,
which was now adding unnecessary de-
lay and torture to the penalty of the I'M
fortunate men. The wounded man was
placed again, and his party dispatched
him with its next vo!ley. lie Law mo-
tionless on his coffin. But the other
seemed almost invulnerable, for the
second volley from his party, though it
may have scratched him, left him still
struggling vigorously to free himself.
A brilliant idea then entered the
provost-marshal's mind. lie brought
up his men one by one close to
the condemned to have them shoot him
successfully. But, for some reason, the
muskets would not go off; merely the
caps flashed. 1t had rained hard the
day before. yet that was no excuse for
the provost guard. who had known for
some days what they had to do and
ought to have had their muskets clean by
this time, rain or no rain. Seven or
eight men went up one after the other
and presented their muskcts within a foot
or two OF the dcserters head: but only
to snap caps; a low growl of indigna-
ton ran along the ranks of the division
and became fierce when one of the pro-
vost mems guns went off finally only to
wound the poor fellow who sat there on
his coffin squirming about under the slow
murder. The general of the division
was IN rage and sent his staff one after
the other galloping up to urge the pro-
vost maIshul to do the disagreeablc duty
promptly and properly Minutes went
by and still the repeated efforts of
twelve veteran soldiers to kill this sit
ting, blindfolded, pinioncd, helpless
man we're all in vain. A supersttious
feeling spread through the division that
he would not be killed. because he could
not be. Nearly half an hour Of voleys
and file firing had passed, when the pro
vost marshal, placing the muzzle Cf his
long barreled seven-shooter to the un-
fortunate mans head discharged all the
loads The victim fell back, and at last
all was over.