The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-12-06
YELLOW FEVER.
The Military Execution of Six Bounty Jumpers at
New Berne. n. C.

new beIHSs ~ u
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Having seen
a communication from Dutee Johnson, jr., Val
ley Falls r. l., asking about the yellow fever
epidemic at New Berne, n. c. in 1864, will
give what little l know about it. | was sta
toned at Rocky Run about four miles back
from New Berne, at the time, with my COM
pany and troop of the 18th n. Y. Cav.
We were doing picket duty on the Kinston
road, at what was known at the time as first
and second blockades, and the cavaly were
yidets at Pine Tree and Red House. Just
little while before the breaking out of the fever
plague there was a flag of truce came down from
Kinston, and it was reported that infected cloth
ing was passed into our lines for the express
purpose of getting rid of the Yanks by other
means than by powder and bullets. Certain it
is that everything was IN a terrible state while
the fever ragged. The 18th Conn, doing duty at
the time in the city, suffered severely. | had
occasion to visit the city number of times dur
ing the seOurge, and always fortified myself with
a camphor bag and good pull at commissary
before starting. There was but one death from
that cause in Rocky Run as far as | can recol-
lect, and, singulaTly enough, that was DR.. Ryder,
of the 18th n. Y. Cav, who was Surgeon of our
| detachment. remember that went, in charge
| of the sick, to the quarters of the Doctor the
morning of his death, and be was just able to
! prescribe for the men, and when he had passed
! the last man he made a lunge for his cot, and
| before night he was gone. He used to prescribe
| a vile decoction, that he called quinine tonic,
| for most every complaint, from fever and ague
| to a sore thumb, and it was current among the
! boys TO say that the Doctor had taken dose OF
! his own tonic and it killed him. / forget now
| just how large the death-rate was in New Berne
but it was very large, and probably larger from
! the fact that all communication from the North
was cut of, and the Medical Department had
not medicines to fight the fever with. But
| Jack Frost helped US out. Previous to our 90.
ing to Rocky Run we were stationed at Fort
Totten, and | witnessed that military murder
the comrade speaks about. 1t was on a Sunday
morning, one Of the finest / ever saw. was
Sergeant of the guard in the fort, and ! stood
on the parapet of the fort and saw those men
marching out behind their own collins. All the
troops in the city witnessed the tragedy There
were three sides of a hollow square formed by
the troops, while the prisoners and firing par
ties made the fourth side. l think there were
SIX men in each firing squad, and all under the
charge of Maj Lawson, of our regiment OK
Mass. Heavy Art.). who was Provost Marshal
at that time, and | have heard that his kinG
heart was broken at being compelled to act anG
assist id the death of the men. He did not liv
bnt short time afterward, but grieved himsel
to DEATH so the report ran. After the men wer
shotthe troops were all marched past the b0die
just as they had fallen, so that each and ever
man could see and take warning The mel
were sentenced for bounty jumping and deser
f ton, if / recolect and at the time of their ex
eeution | think one Of them told Maj Lawson
that he had jumped % bounties. i would Xix
very much to hear from some Of my old com
rades of the 14th n. Y FL. A., and have n
doubt that, if any of them read this article
, they will drop a line to-JoNATHAN HOPKINS
Sergeant, I'd Mass FL. A., rs Smith street, Nel
Bedford Mass.