The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-04-16
SENTENCED TO DEATH.
A Southern Soldier Who Gould Not
Be Serious.

49,
Under fire-in the midst of battle,
hot with action, intoxicated with noise,
the yells of comrades, the rattle of mus
kerry, the whiz of mines, whir of balls
and clatter OF shells, the cheers Of vic
tors, the rush for position and desper-
ate holding, the human passion of
spiteful revenge and the reused taste
for blood and carnage innate in the an
imal man-under fire in the frenzy of
fight is no test of courage. Many a
man stands there, because he is afraid
TO run.
/ remember, in the battle of Port Re-
public-in the three days fighting
around Cross Keys, down in the Valley
of Virginia, in %, our regiment, w. l..
Jackson's old Thirty-first Virginia, was
one of three ordered to storm and take
a battery of nine pieces, supported by
five regiments of infantry and some of
the coolest, most accurate sharpshooters
we had met. BY some miscarriage the
order came only to our regiment, now
decimated by fighting and forced march
ing to two hundred and fourteen men.
But we crawled up through that oat
field, rising to shoot, dropping again to
load and advance. And every time we
rose some comrades dropped to rise no
more. We neared the crest until we
could almost look down the black, sui
phurOus throats of those nine twelve
Founders that were belching grape and
canister into our very mouths. Five
times had our cOlors fallen-one, two,
three, four, FIVE of our tallest, brave
fellows, one after another, raised with
the regimental flag, and fell, shot
through the forehead.
They had been picked off by the
sharpshooters one after another, those
gallant Western Virginia mOuntaineers
AS fast as a colOr-bearer fell, snatch
ing up the flag and rising with it. The
fifth had fallen. A sergeant jumped
from Company G to raise the standard.
Better let that thing alone, Bill, -
growled Lieutenant Cooper. use both
,ands with your bayOnet next rise. -
Bill Cooper was a Pennsylvanian-as
brave a man as crawled back with our
little remnant of one hundred and four
teen that day. After we had reached
safe quarters and were lying down to
rest in the woods, he turned to me to
ask:
what were you looking up and
down the line in there for, BillP"
Lieutenant" was the answer, 81
was looking for a chance to run"
by the fates, so was /, gruffiy re.
torted the quondam man of valor; "but
every fellow in the regiment was look
ing right at me-
Ave, aye, it takes less courage Il
stand than to run away from a battle
But l did get a touch that tested me-
most sorely after that, when they sem
me Through the lines" in the ''secret
service"
Never mind what my business, Of
how l was betrayed, and how l was
gathered in. Enough that they baggeC
me one hundred and eighty miles in
side the enemy's lines and hustled me
off to prison at Fort McHenry, in Balti
more harbor, where / was confronted
with the charge of being Spy.
/ was found guilty and the sentence
was read to me-''TO be hanged as 8
spy on the parade Of Fort McHenry
between the hours of twelve m. anC
three O'Clock p. m, November 3
1868"
In answer to my request that if they
must kill me, for the sake of honor L
give me the death of a soldier. they
graciously changed the paper to read
ITO be shot to dealt with musketry Oh
the parade ground, etc"
Somehow, l suppose I did not fully
comprehend or adequately appreciate
my situation, for / did not feel ther
any more than do now that death wa
10 be my next deal. Nor had / at al
contemplated that result all through
the trial Only the last day beforu
that sentence was read to mel ha'
been creating merriment by askin!
puzzling or irrelevant questions of tn
Judge Advocate, telling jokes during
the recesses Of The court, in diver
manners creating fun to draw mirtl
for myself out of that barren rock
military Justice. Only the day be
fore the president of the court-martial
the Colonel of the regiment, twelve o
whose officers composed my adiudicat
ors asked to talk little with me in pri
vate, as between man and man.
''Of course"
Captain" said he, Il greatly fea
you do not properly appreciate you
present situation"
"Well, Colonel, know of no ma
more favorably situated to realize il
Why do you say SOP"
Because, sir, your life is at stake il
this trial.
ssWell."
'sWell. you'll be found guilty, mos
assuredly, of the charge"
"Well."
you'll be sentenced to die"
'Wel"
"And you'll be hanged or shoti An
here you have been spending the lei'
ure hours Of the court trying you 70