The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-17

faithful execution of his duty, assign
ing cause for his deed refusal on the
part of the victim to comply with Or
ders given. Neither in a civilized or
unciviIized country did there enlanate
such an atrocious order, sanctioning
murder
1t was a stigma and a disgrace upon
the nation which they represented. |
do not attach any blame to Major An
drews in the matter, for, from what
heard him remark on one occasion, of
which 1 will speak hereafter, he re
ceived his orders from a higher source,
from Edwin NJ. Stanton, secretary Of
war. Punishment of severity soon be-
came the order of the day. Trivial Of
lenses were soon punished by the car
rying of a 12S-pound cannon ball from
one place to another and back ag ain,
through which many men became in
jured.
I will now state the remark Major
Andrews made, which gives the au-
thority for the issuance of the infa-
nous order heretofore alluded to. l was
on my way to headquarters one after
noon, and as turned to go up the path
| leading to the barracks l came in con-
tact with soldier named Fisher, OF
| Company I, who was straining and
Juggling to raise a 12S-pound ball upon
his shoulder, a sentinel with loaded
musket standing over him. AS l near
ed him Major Andrews turned from the
garden and, approaching Fisher, who
as yet had been unsuccessful in raising
the ponderous shot upon his shoulder
| commanded that he should carry the
shot, instructing the sentinel at TIE
same time to shoot and bayonet him if
Fisher failed to comply with the or
der.
HIGHER AUTHORITY"
He informed the sentinel that he
would protect him in the premises, for,
said he, Il am supported by higher
authority Edwin M. Stanton, secretary
of war"
Fisher replied to the commanding of
f1cer that it was very hard to be shot
down and bayoneted for not obeying
that which it was an impossibility for
him to perform, but that if he would
grant him the right to wheel them in
to a barrow he thought he might raise
them to its bed and execute his he-
| ltGSlS, SldllIlS dI IllC SAINT biiAlS' ~
not refuse, Major, to comply with your
orders. Sir, it is because nature has
not endowed me with sufficient
strength to raise 12S-pound ball upor
my shoulder.
Fisher was of very frail and deli
cate FORM and had lost what little
: strength he once possessed through the
miserable subsistence issued and thu
+ climate itself having to great degree
a tendency to debilitate the stronges
l. constitutions. His request was grant
ed, and thus was saved from death thi
, poor Individual for had he refused II
obey the order the sentinel would hav'
carried out his instructions to hav'
saved himself from dire punishment
The punishment inflicted at this perio'
consisted alone in the carrying of thes
| immense balls.
Men could be seen daily straining ev
, cry muscle and nerve in their form
: executing this fearful task, the mum
Der required to be carried varying fror
+ 25 balls up to the number of 100 for tn
:. slightest dereliction of duty. This con
tinued up to the latter part of July
4 1857. when a terrible punishment wa
o. inflicted upon a drunken prisoner, re
= sulting in his death in the brief spac
+ of half an hour. He was the first an
the last victim under the infamou
G Special Order No. 49,
e JOHN WINTERS KILLED.
John Winters, a prisoner confined &c
r desertion, was shot down on July 3
r, 1867. within the inside limits of tn
+ fort, whilst in a state of intoxicatio
k bordering on insanity, by a private 50
n der of Company L. Fifth Artiler.
It stationed at Post 5, at the bastion LEAD
It ing to the classmates, where the prison
lie ers were confined This soldier was {
t, one time confined in the guardhous
u charged with sleeping on his post, ais
st with theft.
TO Whilst confined under these charge
k the same man whom he shot (Winter'
bought from his own limited purse a
k ticles of food, cooking it, and furnishe
le him with it, Winters was a harmle!
If man, one possessing a very kind hear
Il and generous to a fault, but, like son
te men under the influence the liquo
Il. was boisterous and unruly, but NJ
< quarrelsome. He had managed on til
at occasion to obtain liquor through h
m intimacy with the soldiers of the Carr
to son.
E. In going to his quarters at retree
m he gave two or three drinks from Il
N bottle in his possession to the soldie
standing on his post, and thence goil
to his casemate. When the priva
g, was placed on guard again he called
n Winters, asking him to give him anot
t. err pull as it was termed among thel
lg
n! n X X vi IN