Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-05-19
SENTENCED TO DEATH.
A Southern Soldier Who Gould Not
Be Serious.

Under 1rC-ln the mluSt Oh Dattlc,
hot with action, intoxicated with noise,
the yells of comrades, the rattle of mus
kerry, the whiz of minics, whir of balls
and clattcr 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-undcr fire i'm the frenzy of
fight is no test of courage. Many q
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 so, our regiment, w. l..
Jackson's old Thirty first Virginia, was
one of three ordered to storm and take
battery of nine pieces, supported by
five regiments of infantry and some of
the coolest, most accurate sharpshoOtcrs
we had met. BY some miscarriage the
order came only to our regiment, now
dccimatcdb 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 nearcd the crest until we
could almost look down the black, sui
phurous threats of those nine twelve
Founders that were belching grape and
canister into our very mouths. Five
times had our colors fallen-onc, two,
three, four, five of our tallest, brave
fellows, one after another, raised with
the regimontal flag, and fell, shot
through the forehead.
They had been picked off by the
sharpshooters one after another, those
gallant Western Virginia mountainccrs
as fast as Il color-bcarcr 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
hands with your bayonct next rise
Bill Cooper was Pennsylvanian-as
brave a man rs crawlcd 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 chance TO run"
by the fates. so was l." grufily re-
torted the quondam man of valor; "but
every fellow in the regiment was look
ing right at me-"
Aye, aye, it takes less courage to
stand than to run away from battle.
But did get a touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they sent
me Through the lines" in the ''secret
service
Never mind what my business, or
how / was betrayed, and how / was
gathered in. Enough that they bagged
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 mc-"To be hanged as a
spy on the parade of Fort McHenry,
between the hours of twelve m. and
three o'clock p. M, November 8,
| 1868"
In answes to my request that If they
must kill me, for the sake of honor to
| give me the death of soldier, they
graciously changed the paper to read,
ITO be shot to death with musketry on
the parade ground, ETC."
Somehow, suppose ! did not fully
comprehend or adequately appreciate
my situation, for | did not feel then
any more than l do now that death was
to be my next deal. Nor had / ut all
contemplated that result all through
the trial. Only the last day before
that sentence was read to mel had
been creating mcrrimcnt by asking
| puzzling or irrelevant questions of the
Judge Advocate, telling jokes during
the recesses of the court, in divers
manners creating fun to draw mirth
| 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 OF
whose officers composed my adjudicat-
ors asked TO talk little with me in pri-
vatc, as between man and man.
"Of cuirse."
Captain said he, ~ greatly fear
you do not properly appreciate your
present situation"
''Wcll, Colonel, know of no man
more favorably situated to realize 1t.
Why do you say SOP"
Because, sir, your life is at stake in
this trial"
"Well."
"Wcll, you'll be found guilty, most
assurcdly, Of the charge"
"Well."
you'll be sentenced to de-"
| "Wcll."
"And you'll be hanged or shotl And
here you have been spending the leis'
urs hours Of the court trying you fol