Year: 1869

psaed that the order had arrived, and
that they were about to exchange their
prison quarters for home and freedom.
After they had all gathered in the room,
their countenances lighted up with this
agreeable hope, the officer came in among
them, and, with very grave face, took e
paper out Of his pocket and told them that
he had very melancholy duty to perform,
the purport Of which would be better IN.
derstood by the reading of the order he
held in his hand, which he had just re-
ceived from the War Department. he
then proceeded to read to the amazed
and Mortified group, an order for the
immediate execution of two of their num-
Der, in retaliation for the hanging Of two
Confederate officers.


As the reader ceased, the men looked
at each other with blanched faces, and a
silence like death prevailed for some
minutes in the room. The Confederate
officer then suggested that perhaps the
better way would be to place number
of slips of paper, equal to the whole
number of officers from whom the vic
Tins were to be selected, in box, with
the word dead written on two of them,
aud the rest blank-the two who drew the
fatal slips to be the doomed men. This
plan was adopted, and chaplain was
appointed to prepare the slips. The
drawing then commenced, the men ad-
vancing and taking out slip, and if it
proved a blank, taking their places in
another part of the room.


The drawing had proceeded for some
time, and fully a third of the officers had
exchanged gloomy looks of apprehen-
sion, for relieved aspect they could not
avsid showing, after escape from such
terrible peril, before a fatal death slip
had been drawn. At the end of about
this period, however, the FIRST slip was
drawn, and the name Of captain Henry
W. Sawyer, of the First New Jersey
Cavalry" was called out as the unfor-
lunate man. The Captain was, of course,
deeply agitated, but did not lose his self
possession. He Immediately began re-
volying in his mind some plan for avert
iug. or at least postponing the immediate
carrying-out of the sanguinary edict of
the rebel government, and by the time
that he was Joined by his companion in
misfortune, who turned out to be Cap
tain Flynn, of an Indiana regiment, he
had resolved upon his course. The off
GERS in command, as soon as the drawing
was completed, ordered the two men to
be taken out aud Immediately executed.


Captain Sawyer, however, demanded,
as a request no civilized nation could re-
fuse under such circumstances, that he
should have permission to write to his
wife to inform her of the terrible fate that |
awaited him, and 10 have her come on
and bid him an eternal farewell. Respite |
for day or two was thus obtained, and
Sawyer subsequently obtained an inter
view with the rebel Secretary of War,
and secured permission to write to his |
wife, which be did His object in writing
to her was principally for our govern
ment to be made acquainted with the
predicsment in which the two officers
were placed, and to secure hostages and
threaten retaliation should the order of
the rebels be carried out.


Itturned out precisely as Sawyer hoped
and expected. Our government was in
formed of the condition Of affairs, and
promptly seized Q son Of General Lee
and one of some other prominent rebel,
and threatened to hang them if the Union
officers were executed. By this means
the lives of the two doomed men were
saved, as the Confederate government
did not dare to carry out their threats
After a few months more confinement
Captain Sawyer was exchanged. Cap
tain Flynn, bis companion in misfortune,
came out of the ordeal with his hair as
white as snow-turned gray by the
mental sufferings he endured. Captain
Sawyer in week or two was as good
as new" and served through the war.