Raynors HCA 2017-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2017
A good war-date Union soldier's execution letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Charles W. Manning, Co. B, 13th Mass. Vols., "Head Quarters 1st Army Corps Rappahannock Station, Va., Aug. 31, 1863", in part: "…the execution of 5 fellows belongs to the 5th Corps…took place day before yesterday near Beverly Ford about 3 miles from here. I did not go to see it for I saw one fellow shot and that satisfied my curiosity but several of our fellows went and saw it…it seems that they were [the condemned] all conscripts but had been out here before and deserted from their Regts…then when they were conscripted they were put into the same Regts again. They had not been here but a few days when they tried the same thing over again, but this time they were not so lucky…they were Court Marshalled and sentenced to be shot. They were marched from their quarters in irons with a strong guard, each man following his coffin and the sappers and miners behind them. The band playing something like a dirge. When they got to the field the coffins were placed along in a row and the men seated on them. Then after the chaplain had got through talking the bandage was placed over their eyes and the orders were given. There was 36 men that fired and the whole 5 fell over into their last resting place. This is the deserters portion and I think they deserved it. One or two of them felt pretty bad but the others did not seem to care but very little about it…Chas. W. Manning…". The original transmittal cover is included. Minor toning, else VG
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