Tale of the War.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 279, 22 October 1884, Page 4

Tale of the War.

A corporal of the RiHe Brigade, for robbing a Spaniard of some bread was tried by a drum-head courtmartial, and brought out immediately afterwards for punishment. When the brigade was formed and the unhappy corporal, who till then, bore an excellent character, was placed in the centre of the square, close to the triangle — the General said, in a stern voice, "Strip, sir." The corporal never uttered a word till actually tied up, when, turning his head round as far as his humiliating position enabled him, he said in a firm and respectful voice, "General Crawford^ spare me." The General replied, "It cannot be ; your crime is too great." The unhappy man, who was sentenced to be reduced to the pay and rank 'of a private soldier, and to receive 200 lashes, then added, "Oh, General, do you recollect when we were both taken prisoners in Buenos Ayres ? We were confined with others in a sort of a pound. You sat on my knapsack, fatigued and hungry,. I shared my last biscuit with you. On that occasion you shook me by the hand, swearing never to forget my kindness — it is now in your power. You know that when I committed the act for which I am now made so humiliating a spectacle to my comrades, we had been short of rations for some time." iNot only the General, but the whole square, was affected by his address. The bugler, who stood behind the corporal, then, on a nod from the buglemajor, inflicted the first lash, which drew blood from as brave a fellow as ever carried a musket. The General started and turning , hastily round, said, "Who ordered that bug^ ler to flog ? Send him to drill, send him to drill ! take him down ! take him down !" I remember it well, all the time passing up and down the square, wiping his face with his handkerchief, trying to hide emotions that were visible to the whole square. After recovering his noble feeling, the gallant General uttered, with a broken accent, "Why does a brave soldier like you commit these crimes ?" Then beckoning to his orderly for his horse, he mounted and galloped off. In a few days the corporal was restored to his rank, and I saw him a year afterwards a respected sergeant. Had the poor fellow's sentence been carried out, a valuable soldier would have been lost to the service, and a good man converted into a worthless one.