The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-08-08
NEW BERNIE, N. C.
Military Execution and fslIor Feysr at tina. Place.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRInuNE: | am not go
Ing to infict long article on your patient read
ers, but fee. that some little explanation Is
due regarding the military execution at New
Bernc, referred to by NJ. W. Grey in THE Ma
TIoEAL TRIBUNE of April %.
AS was ono Of the firing squad In that af-
fair think ! know something about 10. The
18th Conn. was doing provost duty in New
Berne, N. G. One morning in the Summer Of
1864, after guard mounting, detail of 60-not
l0-men was made 10 act as firing squad on
the next morning. In tho afternoon the detail
was ordered out for drill. Tho Lieutenant,
who had command Of the detail, was evidently
very nervous Many OF the men were recruits,
aud had never loaded or fired their muskets.
] had been In the regiment six months and
had never been ordered TO load my musket, and
had only Cred IL once. and then was repri-
handed. The Lieutenant got In front Of tho
detail aud put Us through tho manual of arms
very rapidly. lie gave the order Ready
Aim-Firel so rapidly that those in the rear
rank could hardly get their pieces TO the Shout
der before the command fire would be given.
As many of tho men had never fired a musket.
and some Of them not n gun Of any kind, had
grave doubts regarding the result Of the exccu-
ton; but resolved TO do my duty, although
IL was u very diaagreeablo one. The next
morning We were called out very early, but
oven then 10 was so hot and sultry that some
OF the men tainted In tho ranks before we left
tho parade. ground. The remainder OF the
facts are we'll stated by comrade Grey, only
there were go men instead of 10. Eight OF
the mnskets were loaded by tho Sergeant.
Eight OF the men in each platoon were TO fire no
tho word, aud tho two on the right TO reserve
their FIRE for an emergency.
was next to tho last man in tho rear rank
on the left Of our squad of 10. When the men
were prepared for execution, the Lieutenant in
command gave his orders In the same hurried
way. aud someone on the extreme left fred his
musket nc the command aim. Ii the command
FIRE was given l did not hear ID, but there was
scattering voley all along tho line, and the con-
demned men commenced TO fall back on their
collins. Being Ia tho rear rank. could not
get my piece in position 10 fire before The con-
demned man in my front fell back on his cof-
fin. / could see that no was hit In the neck
aud head. As soon az The firing ceased the
Surgeons came forward aud examined the men
only one--the man in front of my squad-was
alive, aud Maj Holcombe called ono Of the
reserve forward, who placed his musket close to
the mans body and fred. The Surgeon told
me afterwards, when was in the hospital, that
the man WAS senseless and virtually dead, and
the wounds were fatal; but as his heart still
continued TO beat faulty, he decided to have
the law carried out.
As to the yellow fever, ! was all through
that, Soon after the disease broke out in our
regiment | WAS detached as assistant In the
hospital, and we remained there until caught
the fever myself. | believe we lost 40 men
from yellow feyer.--CoaVERs HOWE, Co. /
nth Conn Panama (ui