The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-12-10
UNDER SENTENCE.
VIZ. GORDON.

UNDER SENTENCE.
W.T.. GORDON.
Southern Bivouac.
Under tire--in the midst OF BATTLE.
hot with action, intoxicated with
noise, The yells Of fcomrades. the rattle
of ofmusketry, the whiz OF minies. whir
sof balls, and clatter of shells, the
cheers Of victors. the rushfor 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
tho frenzy Of fight is no test ofcourage.
Many man stands there because he.
ii afraid to run.
III remember in the battle OF Port Re
public in the three days fighting
around Cross Keys, downin The valley
.of Virginia in '62, our regiment, w. L.
Jackson's old thirty first Virginia,
was one of three ordered to storm and
stske battery Of nine pieces, support
ed by Eve regiments Of infantry and
some OF the coolest, most accurate
aharp-shooters we had met. Bysome
miscarriage the order came only to
our regiment, now decimated by fight
ing and forced marchingto 214 men.
But we crawled up through that oat
field on our bellies, 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 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 regilnental flag, and fell,
shot through the forehead.
They had been picked off by the
sharp.shooters one after another,
those gallant West Virginiamountain
GERS as fast as color bearer fell,
snatching up the flag and rising with
/ 1t.
The fifth had fallen. A sergeant
jumped from Company Cto raise the
standard.
Better let that thing alone. Bill
growled Lieut.. Cooper. "Use both
! hands with your bay onet next rise. y
'a Bill Cooper was q Pennsylvania. MS
brave a man as crawled back with
our remnant OF / ID that day. After
I 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, 3 was the answer, 81
was looking for A chance to run"
BY haaveE; 20 was II grufily re,
torted the qnondam man of valor:
but. every fellow in the regiment was
! looking right at me"
@ Aye, aye, it takes less courage to
stand than to run away from bat
tie.
But did get a touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they
cent me Through the lines in the
t.secret service
Never mind my business, or how
was gathered in. Enough that they
bagged me $50 miles inside the enc.
my's lines and hustled me of TO pris.
on in Baltimore harbor, where was
confronted with the charge OF being 4
I spy. No matter that had on when
captured my fall uniform as captain
No matter that at my court martial
trial their own officer who captured
me testified that he did not take me
az as spy, and that there was no work
for g spy where he captured me.
ss No matter; / was found guilty, and
the sentence was read to me: ITO pe
hanged as a spy on the parade ground
Of Fort McHenry, between the hours
of l2 m. and 8 o'clock p. M, Nov 3
1867
In answer to my request that fthey
must kill me, for the sake of honor te
give me the death OF q soldier, they
graciously changed the paper to read
10 be shet to death with musketry
on the parade ground. etc"
Somehow. suppose did not fully
4 comprehend or adequately appreciate
my situation, for / did not feel then
4 any more than do now that death
4 was to be my next deal. Nor had
at all contemplated thaJ result al
{ through the trial. Only the last day
!, before that sentence was read to me-
had been creating lnerriment
i by asking puzzling or irrevelant
questions OF the Judge advocate
ceiling Jokes during the recesses of th,
I tourt, in divers manners creating fur
] to draw mirth for myself out of thai
barren rock, military Justice" Only
= the day before the president, OF th,
court martial, the colonel OF the regi
inent5 twelve Of whose officers com
i posed my adjud asked to tall
q little with me in private as between
I man and man.
s.Of course
s@ Captain" said he. II greatly fea
you do not properly appreciate you
I present situation" as s
Well. colonel. / know OF no maj
1 more favorably situated to realize it
II Thy do you say so?"
Because, sir, your life is at stakeil
this trial.
s;s Neli7' ~
Well. youll be found guilty, mos
a.s,3Ssaly, ..ss1si,iy, of the charge"
M lan'll Y b sentenced to die"
And you'll be hanged or shotl an,
h here You have been spending the leis
sirc hours of tho court, trying you fo