Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-12-03
UNDER SENTENCE.
w. L. GORDON.

OoUtnern blVOuaC.
Under fire--in the midst of battle,
hot with action, intoxicated with
noise, the yells OF comrades, the rattle
Of musketry, the whiz OF minies, whir
of balls, and CHATTER OF shells, the
cheers of victors, the rush for position
and desperate holding, the human
passion of spiteful revenge, and the
reused taste for blood and carnage in
nate in the animal man-under fire in
the frenzy Of fight is no test ofcourage.
Many q man stands there because he
is afraid to run.
remember in the buttle of Port Re-
public-in the three days fighting
around Cross Keys, down in the valley
of Virginia in '62, our regiment, w. l..
Jackson's old thirty-first Virginia,
was one of three ordered to storm and
sake a battery of nine pieces, support.
ed by five regiments of infantry and
some of the coolest, most accurate
sharp-shooters we had met Bysome
miscarriage the order came only to
our regiment, now decimated by fight
ing and forced marchingto PA men.
But We crewled up through that oat
field on our bellies, rising to shoot,
dropping again to load and advance.
And every time werose some comrades
dropped to rise no more. We neared
the crest until we could almost look
down the black sulphurous throats of
those nine twelve-pounders that were
belching grape and canister into our
very mouths,
Five times had our colors fallen
one, two, three, four. five of our tall
est brave fellows, one after another,
raised the regimental flag, and fell,
eh through the forehead.
. lney had been picked of by the
sharp-shooters one after another,
those gallant West Virginia mountain
eers-as fast as a. color bearer fell,
snatching up the flag and rising with
it.
The fifth had fallen. A sergeant
jumped from Company C to raise the
standard.
Better let that thing alone, Bill"
growled Lieut.. Cooper. "Use both
hands with your bayonet next. rise"
Bill Cooper was @ Pennsylvaiiian as
brave g. man as crawled buck with
our remnant OF Ia 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 Bill?"
"Lieutenant," was the answer, IT
was looking for chance to rum"
"By heaven, so was Il" grutfly re-
torted the quondam man Of valor:
"but, every fellow in the regiment was
looking right at mo"
Aye, aye, it takes less courage to
stand than to run away from a bat
tie.
But did, get q touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they
sent me Through the lines in the
"secret service"
Never. mind my business, or how I
was gathered in. Enough that they
bagged me 1870 miles inside the enc.
my's lines and hustled me OF to pris-
on in Baltimore harbor, where I was
confronted with the charge OF being
spy. No matter that had on when
captured my full uniform as captain.
No matter that at my court martial
trial their own officer who captured
me testified that he did not take me
as spy, and that there was no work
Tor q spy where he captured me.
No matter; was found guilty, and
the sentence was read to me: ITO be
hanged as q spy on the parade ground
of Fort McHenry, between the hours
1863" = '.< 4
In answer to my request that if they
must kill me, for the sake of honor to
give me the death of soldier, they
eraclousiy changed the paper to read,
$40 be shot to death with musketry
on the parade ground. ETC." AZ
4 Somehow, I suppose did not fully
4 comprehend or adequately appreciate
my situation, for did not feel then,
any more than I 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 me-
" had been creating 1nerriment
oy asking puzzling or irrevelant
questions OF the judge advocate,
T. ceiling Jokes during the recesses of the
tourt, IN divers manners creating fun
70 draw mirth for myself out OF that
barren rock. military Justice. Only
the day before the president Of the
court martial, the colonel Of the reei-
ment, twelve OF whose officers COM
posed my adjudicators, asked to talk
I little with me in private as between
! man and man.
OF course"
Captain" said he, Il greatly fear
You 40 not properly appreciats your
present situation. =
We'll, colonel, I know az no man
more favorabIy situated TO realize 81.
Why do you say 500.
IS. Because, sin, your life IS &c stake il
...yVell?',. q
swell, you'll be found guilty. most
as.sSsgTealy, q the charge. y
Ne y ..1 xo s9'l!, Be sentenced q
SS1 md yon'll 30 hanged 81 ahotf I'd
s b. eke You havs been spe1d ma flnd 4
oura ot Thu coyrt 6. ll..vIfiI' Il
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