Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-04-10
SENTENCED TO DEATH.
a Southern Soldier Who Could Not
Be Serious,


Ihoef hTe-lh Inc midst Of battle,
hot with action, intoxicated with noise.
the wells OF comrades tn. r.--'a If --
kerry. tbe wbiz of m;ri.s v,iro,rou.
and c,at,araf h,n~"
''' sH'''S' Ihe 'Hee4' u VIC
LOTS 'He rush l~ posluon and desper-
ate holding, the human passion CT
spiteful revenge and III. ron.ad ta.-.
for hs,nd and ~rrooa fr,o., - d.
;m,i mon nn1n.#- a.
49, MAN ''u'' me- III 'ne i.tHz' Oh
Agul Is no test OF courage, Many 9
man stands there, because he is afraid
to run.
remember, in tho h.,,ro % Pow. =.
.lIt, VI ne
i", ny "'ee ua!' Agh'Ing
"Iouh" 'foSs heys, down IN the Valley
OF Virginia, in ", our regiment, W. L.
JackSn's old Thirty-fr,t VIRGINIA. wa.
one of three ordered to storm and take
4 battery of nine pieces. support4d bv
FIVE regiments Of infantry and some If
thecoolest, most accurate sharp,booter.
we had met. By some MISCARRIAGE the
order came only to our regiment, now
dccimated bv fighting andforced march.
ing to two hundred and fourteen men
But we crawled up through that oqt
field, rising to shoot, droppinr AGAIN 70
load and advance. And every time we
rose some comrades dropped to rise no
more. We neored tho cros, NH 49,
could almost look down the black. sui
phurous throats Of those nine Twelve
Founders that were belching crane and
canister into our very mouths. Five
times had our colors fallen-one, two.
three, four, five of our t%allpst, brave
fellows, one after another, raised with
the rcgimcntal FLAG, and fell. shot
through the forehead.
They had been picked off By tbe
sharpshooters n after another. those
gallant Western Virginia mouDtaineer,
as fast as a color-bearer fell. snatch.
inr up the tIar and rising with il TIE
fifth had fallen, A sergeant iumped
from Company c TO raise the standard.
Better let that thing alone. Bill"
growled Lieutenant Cooper. use both
hands with your bavonet next rise"
Bill Cooper wac a Pcnnsylyanian-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 10
rest in the woods, he turned to me 10
ask:
What were YOU looking M and
down the line in there for Kingh
"Licutcnant, was the answer. al
was looking for a chance to run"
by the fatps. 50 was l." prunIv 70.
torted the Quondam man Of yalor. .but
every fellow in the regiment was look.
ing right at me"
Ave, aye, it takes less COURAGE 10
stand than to run away from a battle,
But | did get a touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they semi
me Through the lines in the .',4cret
service
Never mind what NV business. or
how was BETRAYED. and how vas
gathered in. Enough that they baeged
me one hundred and eighty miles in.
side the encmy's lines and hustled me-
off to prison at Fort McHpnrv. in RsIti-
more harbor. where | wa, confronted
with the charge Of being a .uy
| was found guilty and the sentence
was read to me-"fo be- HANGED ~ a
spy on the parade Of For, lIcHsnry
between the hours of twelve m and
three O'Clock u. m. Novemhar =
1861
In answer 10 nv reoucst tba, Il ,bor
must kill me, for the sake of honor r.
give me the death of a soldier. tbey
~graciously cbanged the naner tn road
ITO be shot to death with mn,kn,ry ON
the parade ground. etc"
Somehow. | sunnose I did M, ,r,,y
comprehend or adequately annreciats
nv situation. for I did not ri ,ban
any more than I do now ,ha, doa,h rnai
to Be my next deal. Nor had / at ali
contemplated that result all tbrougb
the trial Onlv ,ho las, Jar hon,a
that sentence was read to ma had
been creat;no marr;mant hu aihnau
puzzling or irrelevant questions of ,hs
judge Advocate. TELLING Jokes dur;ng
the recesses of ;be court, in divars