The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-09-26
PardOnable DesertiOn.

In the winter of 1923, Colonel A. G.
Battle, of theIconfederate army, pre-
sided over court martial of the Army
of Northern Virginia. Case after case
was disposed of, and the case of
Edward Cooper was called-a young
artilleryman charged with desertion.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and
the judge advocate was beginning for
the prosecution, when the court inter-
posed to ask the accused who his coun-
sci was. /" l have no COUNSEL" was
the reply. The specifications against
him were all sustained by the evidence,
and he was told to introduce his wit
nesses. {" | have no Witnesses he an
swered. The president of the court,
astonished at the prisoners calmness,
said
Have you no defense? Is it posi-
BILE that you abandoned your comrades
and deserted your colors without any
reason?"
"There was reason,' said the
young man, {" but it will not avail me
before military court"
You may be mistaken"
The prisoner trembled, and for the
first time tears filled his eyes. He
stepped up to Colonel Battle and handed
him letter. "There, colonel, is what
did it,"
The president read the letter, and in
moment his eyes, too, were moist.
The paper was passed from hand to
hand, and soon the whole court was in
tears. This was the letter, as Colonel
Battle read it in the prisoners defense;
"MY DEAR EDwARD:-I have always
NAn, l.Nfxr gtV.nA
ton with the confederate army have been
prouder of you than ever. l would not
have you do anything wrong for the world;
but before God Edward, unless You come
home, we must die Last night l was
reused by little Eddie crying. | called and
said; What's the matter, Eddie? and he
said: o mamma, am 30 hungry And
Lucy, your darling Lucy, she never COM
plains, but she is growing thinner every
day. And before God, Edward, unless you
come home, we must all die. YOUR MARY"
"What did you do when you received
this letter." asked Colonel Battle.
81 applied for furlough,' was the
prisoners answer. 1.-THE application
was rejected. Again and again l made
application, and it was rejected. Then,
one night, as l wandered back and forth
in the camp, with Lucy's eyes on me
and her mothers words burning into
my brain, | was no longer the confed-
crate soldier; | was the father of Lucy
and the husband of Mary. And 1
would have passed those lines if every
gun in the battery had fired upon me.
l went home. Mary ran out to meet
me. Her arms were round me as she
whispered: 30 Edward, am 80 happyl
l am so glad you got your furloughP
She must have felt me shudder. She
turned pale as death, and catching her
breath at every word, she said: 'O.Ed-
ward, Edward, go back go backl Let
me and the children go down to the
grave, but save the honor of your
name! And here am, not brought here
by military power, but in obedience to
Mary's command, to abide the sentence
of your court"
Moved as the officers of the court
martial were, they did their duty as
they understood it, and each in turn
pronounced the same sentence:
"Guilty." Fortunately the proceed
ings of the court were reviewed by the
commanding general. He endorsed
the record thus:
HEADQUARTERs ARMY NORTHERN
VIRGINIA.-The finding of the court is
approved. The prisoner is pardoned,
and will report to the company.
ar. f. LEE, General"
Youths Companion.