How Things are in America.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 13, 9 February 1870, Page 7

How Things are in America.

By David Macrae.

SAVING A SOLDIER'S LIFE. It would bo easy to write a whole book * about Petersburg and its momorics of the but us I mean to cut this series of ► '■ sketches short in a wpekortwo now—having trespassed too long already on the patience of the readers of the Weekly Herald, and feeling that it would be impossible to do justice to the South and West without continuing the series for many months—l shall content myself with one incident" Ahore from this quarter, narrated to me by Mr K—■ —v the principal actor in the scene. Mr K himself had been opposed to the war. "T saw what Ireland had come to," he said to .me, " and I knew it would be the same with the South." But he had gone with his people. I was told at Petersburg that he.had been the means of saving 47 lives during the war. He was described as a man of generous impulse, and always ready, even when impoverished by the war, to share what he had with those who were worse off than himself. On one occasion he had been seen taking off his shots and coat in the street to give to a poor Confederate soldier, and going home himself in his shirt sleeves and stockings. During one of the pleasant evenings at Petersbm-g, of which I cherish so many delightful recollections, one case, in which Mr K had saved the life of a German soldier, was referred to, and we got Mr K. to detail the case. Well (said he) on Sunday morning I was in my room preparing to go to church, when a knock came to the door, and I was told a man wanted to see me. I went out and asked him what he wanted. He said, " There is a German prisoner going to be shot on Tuesday morning, and he wants you to come and pray with him." I put my German bible in my pocket, ■and went. When I found myself alone with the prisoner, I said, in German, u What is your name ?" " Henry B ," " What brought you to this plight V

" I was charged with deserting." " A.nd were you not guilty V " No, sir." *

'On questioning him fuither, Ifountl that 3re had been caught trying to leave Petersburg, just after a very severe order had heen issued in reference to desertion, which, from his ignorance of English, he had been tmable to read. Further, he assured me earnestly and solemnly that he never meant to desert; that he only wanted to run the

I blockade—that is, to escape through the | Jines—and go to Charleston to get his | «lothes, of which he was sorely in need,

1 and to recover lOOOdols, that were due to | him there, and which the woman of the I house.where he boarded had in charge for I him. When tried by court-martial, it was I declared that he had deserted from Charles- > ton; but he assured me that it was not

true—that he had served his time and got | an honourable discharge.

I I asked who had defended him at the | -court-martial. . : I "No one."

" And what decision was come to 1"

I" I was condemned, sir : I am to be shot on Tuesday morning." I prayed with the man; and when 1 had ■ questioned him again, I said, "If all you I hare told me is true, you will not be shot I if I can help it.

"It is true, Mr K ," he said ear- | nestly ; " true as I hope to see God." | I went away determined, if possible, to | save this poor fellow's life.

I went to a man who hired out buggies, | and said—"l am going to Richmond. _' You must give me one of your buggies on

credit." " What are you going to Richmond for 1" "I am going there to try and save a man's life." " Then," said he, " you shall not pay a cent."

When I got to Richmond I found Jefferson Davis coming from'church. I laid the case before him, and said, " I have pledged your word, and the honour of the Confederate Government, that if that man's

j statements are found true you will reprieve I him. Now, sir, I want you to postpone I this man's execution for a week, till I go I to Charleston, and find out the truth or | falsity of his story." I Mr Davis granted this at once. Back I came to Petersburg, and was off |pext morning to Charleston, where I *Hved the day after. I procured a permit to Fort Sumter, got the password, 1 I

and hired two boatmen to take me down. I was so excited that I forgot the pass word, and when the sentinel cried "Halt I" I could only, cry out " don't fire—for God's sake, don|t fire ! I got the password, but I have forgotten it," I could not recall it, and had to toll the boatmen to take mo back, when it suddenly Cjirdc to my memory, and I landed under the fort. €olpnel Calhoun received me kindly—he was afterwards shot by Colonel Rhett in a duel; I told him my story, and said, "The man was charged in the indictment with having deserted from here beforei'* ,-"-r , 1&.

is a mistake. The man served his time, and was honourably discharged." My heart leapt up at that- ft • v.

I was satisfied now of the man's innocence. I "got back to Charleston, and went next ab/mt the lOOOdols. I wouldn't (said MrK j ~..,, getting more excited in his narrative)—l wouldn't have given three skips of a flea for all the dollars in God's creation, but a man's life depended upon it. 1 found the woman. The money was all; right. The man had told the truth. Now for Richmond again. The time was flying past, and there was not a moment" to lose. I ran away to the station, and was nearly thero when I remembered I had not paid my bill. I ran back, and on returning found the train was off. No other train till next morning ; there was nothing for it but to remain. Next morning I was on". When we got to Florence the cars ran off the track. That detained us twelve hours, and the man's life trembling in the balance, It was Monday afternoon before I got back to Petersburg, and the : man was to be shot on Tuesday morning. I had tasted no food for three days, and was so dirty and haggard that nobody knew. me. I ran over the Pocahontas Bridge to the dep0t.;:..,,..-

The man at the gate demanded my pass. There: was no travelling to or from Richmond in those days without a Provost Marshall's pass. I said "T have no pass." " Then you can't come in here." "Then," said I "a man's life will be

lost." " Eh ! what's your name 1" "K " K !" exclaimed the man, staring at me. " Bless me, what have you been doing with yourself? You look crazy. I told him in a few words ; he let mc pass, and I got into the cars just as they were starting. I reached Richmond on Monday night at seven o'clock. When I got to President Davis's house I was like to faint. ! - "Is Mr Davis in)" " No." " Well, I must see him. A man's life is at stake. I will wait inside till he comes." I went in and fell asleep on the sofa. About ten o'clock I heard steps. I jumped up.- "Is that Mr Davis ]" " Yes." " Tell him Mr K , the person that was here last week getting a reprieve J for a condemned man, wants to see him." | ■ .. Mr Davis received me at once. " Well," he said, " what did you find at Charleston 1" "It is all true what the man said." I mentioned what Colonel Calhoun had told me, and also about the 1000 dollars. " Well," said Mr Davis, " go to General Randolph's head-quarters, and lay these facts before General Lee. I spoke to him about the case. If he consents the man shall be pardoned." It was 11 o'clock when T found General Lee. Lee received me kindly, and listened to my story, but shook his head. " I would be glad if I could do it," he said," but the safety of the country demands that desertion be put a stop to." I pled with him, but he seemed to have made up his mind. " I have made this a matter of prayer," he said. "I have laid this case before God ; and, while I cannot say God has answered mc, I feel that my conscience is clear. I thought of the man's life hangui" on this interview, and pleaded with the General for nearly an hour, but in vain. " The country," he said, "demands that an example be made of men who desert their colours, no matter on what grounds, and we must begin somewhere." ." Begin then," I said, " with one of our own people—not with a poor foreigner, who does not know the language, and could not read the orders you issued on the subject."

General Lee thought earnestly for a moment, and then said : "Mr K , you deserve this man's life given to you if it could be done. But desertion is imperilling our cause. We could hare gained that battle of Antiotam but for desertion. There were 13,000 deserters that day, and 13,000 men -would havo turned the scale. This man's life cannot be taken into account when the salvation of the country is at stake." . i j That crushed mo. I felt that I could plead no more. . i " General," I said, " I asked God's blessing on that man, and I should like before I leave, to ask it on you." He bowed his head—l put my hands on it, and asked God's blessing on him, and on the cause he was so nobly defending. T could scarcely speak. My voice was choked, and the tears were blinding my eyes. Then I left him. I went to the hotel—filled with sadness more than I can describe. I washed myself, tried to eat a little, and went to bed, but could not sleep. I thought of that man who Was to be shot in a few hours. I could not rest. I was up at the President's house again about live in the morning. The man was to be shot at Drewry's Bluff at eight. The servant refused to awaken the President. I paced about awhile, and then went up to an officer, who turned out to be a German. I said—"The. servant won't waken the President. Go you and do it, for God's sake. If you don't your coutryman willbe shot."

" I dare not do it," says the man. " Then I will go myself." ■ " I cannot allow you, sir," said the man. " It is contrary to orders." I pled and wept, and at last he went.

The answer from Mr Davis was to send ane up to his room. I found him in bed. He shook hands with me, and asked me if anything had occurred. I said—" I saw General Lee, and pled with him for more than an hour for that man's life, but in vain."

" Strange," said Mr Davis. " General Lee was here about two in the morning, and said you had shaken his decision by what you had said about the man being a foreigner and not able to read, and that we had better spare him." Oh, the joy of that moment! T could only say "Thank God, Mr Davis, thank God!" ■ \

But think of General Lee going at two in the morning to see the President about that man !

I asked the President if the pardon had been sent. He said no, but it would be sent by special courier in good time. I asked if ho would write me a reprieve now, till the l'egular order was drawn up. He consented cheerfully, and pointed to a handdesk on the side-table, which I brought him, and he wrote the reprieve in bed. I can't tell you how I felt when I went out with the reprieve in my hand. The man's life was saved. When the courier rodb down w;ith the reprieve to Drewry's Bluff the man's grave had been already dug ! But it Avasn't needed, thank God, and the man is alive yet, and has written me since, and is never going to forget who saved his life.

• I returned to Petersburg, my heart filled with gratitude towards God. The Colonel of the regiment to winch the man belonged met me in the cars. " Joe," I called him. He was one of my old scholars. He pretended to be very angry. " Here," he said, '" we have come over to see that man shot. Pretty thing, you coming and getting him off." But I coidd have stood a good deal of bantering that morning! I entered Petersburg that day like a hero.

Such was Mr K 's story. I have given it not only on account of its own interest, but as throwing a side light upon the character, of men who, owing to the nature and issue of the war, are apt to be misrepresented and misunderstood.