The National tribune., 1899-01-19

lion offered to direct his thoughts to a
| gracious Savior
The sentence was read and he was
asked If he had anything tn say why il
should not he executed. He spoke iii a
| firm, decided tone in q voice which could
be heard by many hundreds, and nearly
in the following words: Fellow soldiers
| Tennesseans, was forced into the South
ern service against niywili and against my
| conscience. I tcld them | would desert
the first opportunity found, and did it
| was always Union man, and never
denied it: and | jCined the Union army to
do all the damage could to the Con-
| federates. / believe the Union cause is
right and will triumph. They can kill
| me but once, and am not afraid to die in
a good cause. My only request is that
you let my wife and family know that
died in supporting my principles. My
! brothers, there would shoot me If they had
a chance, but forgive them. Now shoot
| me through the heart, that I may die
Instantly
After Rowland had ceased to speak, he
| took off hat, coat and necktie, and laying
his hand on his heart, he said, Aim
! here.' The Sergeant Of the guard adj
vanced to tie his hands and blindfOld him.
| He asked the privilege of standing un-
| tied, but the request was not granted
His eyes were bandaged, he knelt upon
his coffin and engaged in prayer for sew
eral minutes, and then said he was
ready.
The Lieutenant OF the guard then gave
| the word, Fire and "a muskets were
discharged. When the smoke lifted the
| body had fallen backward and was still
| Several bullets had passed through his
head, and some through his heart. His
body was tumbled into the rough pine
box and was buried by the men who shot
him.
Such was the fate of Tennessee
"a yuf, W. mfr tn, II l.,r<, l. e
love for the Union and his faith in its
final triumph in the very presence oil
some of the leading traitors and of thou
sands of his rebellious countrymen, a
moment before scaling his patriotism with
his blood
Our troops at length joined Gen. Grant s
army near VickSburg, and we partici-
pated in the rest Of the stirring campaign
The excitement and exposure proved toe
much for me, and after it was over / was
iii for long time, after which / left the
army.
Time and again since | have been en-
gagged in wiring thi, little narrative,
have thrown down my pen, closed my
eyes and lived over again those hours
which spent in ni1i tering to the wants
Of noble men, and have lDneed to go back
and engage in the same duties once more.
A question is frequently asked me-
Are not the private soldiers cruelty
treated by the ofiicers?' / never knew
but very few instances of it, and then ii
was Invariably by mean, cOwardly officers,
who were net fit to be in command of SO
many mules. l have always noticed that
the braveSt and best fighting officers are
the kindest and most foroearing toward
their men.
An Interesting anecdote is told OF the
lats brave Gen. Sedswick, which illus
trateS this fact:
"Oae day, while on march, one of our
hoGt Cnl ltarc bad fa!fpp cyh fe1 hv
fatigue and illness, and lay helpless in
the road when an officer came da5lling
along in evident haste to join his staff in
advance.
1T was pitiable to see the effort the
poor boy made to drag his unwilling limbs
out OF the road. He struggled up only To
81 TX back with q look that asked only the
pri ilege OF l,ilg there undi tlIrbed To- die.
In an instant he found his head pillowed
on an arm as gentle as his far away
mothers might have been, and face
bent over him expressive of the deepest
pity.
1T is characteristic OF our brave boys
that they say but little. The uncom-
plating words of the sollifr in this in
stance were few, but understood.
The officer raised him in his arms and
placed him in his own saddle, supporting
the limp and Swaying figure by one firm
arm, while with the other he curbed the
step of his impatient horse to a gentier
pace.
For two miles, without a gesture of
Impotence, he travelled in this tedious
way, until he reached an ambulance
train and placed the sick man in one of
the ambulanceS.
This was our noble Sedgwick-our
brave General of the Sixth Corps, pressed
with great anxietieS and knowing the
prcciousness of every moment. His men
used to say: We all know that great
things are to be done, and well done
when we see that earnest figure in its
rough blouse hurrving past, and never
have we been disappointed in him. He
works necessarily, is unostentati us, and
when he appears among us all eyes follow
h In with outspOken blessings"