CHAPTER XXV
THE EXECUTION
Depressed as Noel was by his recent interview with the colonel, henevertheless was surprised when he approached the tent to find that theguards had been changed. The young soldier was not yet aware that whendeserters were put under guard certain selected men were stationed withloaded muskets about the tent of those who had been condemned. Every twohours the guard was relieved.
Nor was any soldier ever compelled to stand guard over a deserter fromhis own company or regiment. Naturally it was very difficult for onecomrade to be compelled to enforce so severe a rule as that which wasapplied to men who deserted, when the guilty comrade, perhaps, was aschoolmate, a relative, or even a brother. Besides, there was thecontinual fear of the officers that if such men were placed in chargethere would naturally be the danger of a plot or a plan for the escapeof those who were condemned. It was for this reason that Noel andDennis, in any event, would have been assigned to a guard-tent in somecompany in which they were not likely to have any acquaintances, oreven any friends among its members.
As soon as Noel entered the tent, Dennis was aware from the expressionof his face that his mission had not been successful.
"What is it, lad?" he whispered as he drew the young soldier to oneside.
Noel shook his head as he replied, "The colonel wouldn't believe aword."
"The colonel is as bad as that little spalpeen, the sutler!"
"I wouldn't mind it so much," said Noel, "if they would first reallyfind out what the truth of the charge is, but it seems that they havetaken the word of Levi, and now anything we can say doesn't seem tocount for much against it."
"But they'll give us a trial. They'll hold a court-martial beforeanything is done," protested Dennis.
"I hope so," said Noel. "I don't know how it will be held, or how fair ashow we'll have. It's the only square way, though, and if it's possibleI am going to try to make an appeal. I have thought of sending for thechaplain. I think he might be able to do something for us if any man inthe regiment can."
"Who is the chaplain?"
"I don't know who he is, but we'll be able to find that out later."
A low conversation which followed between the inmates of the tentrevealed the fact that several of the men already had been tried andcondemned by court-martial for desertion. Every one was bitter againstthose who had passed sentence upon him. Noel was surprised to find thatthe men were all claiming, what he himself had asserted as the cause forthe mistake in his arrest, that some one had brought a false chargeagainst them.
Not unnaturally both the young soldiers were depressed when darknesscame on, and Noel was unable to sleep. Mortified by the charge as wellas anxious, he lay with wide-open eyes staring in the dim light at thetop of his tent and wondering what the following day would bring forth.The sound of guns in the distance, the restlessness that was manifestedamong the soldiers, the evident interest with which the colonel wasreading some dispatches that he had received, as well as the severitywith which the so-called deserters were being treated, all combined tomake the young soldier confident that stirring action was speedilyexpected.
The following morning dawned wonderfully clear. When Dennis awoke thesun was shining brightly and the morning air was soft and still.
When the boys first arose they were startled at the presence of twoambulances in front of their tent. In each of these ambulances there wasa rough coffin of wood. That these gruesome objects should have beenbrought to the place where the prisoners under the charge of desertionwere confined at first had not been suggestive to Noel. He was soonaware, however, what the explanation was, and his face became pallidwhen he heard two of his companions ordered to advance and each man totake his seat on a coffin. A detail of soldiers had been assigned todraw these two ambulances and in solemn silence were awaiting the comingof the condemned men.
Noel Curtis shuddered when one of the prisoners, stepping lightly intothe ambulance, seated himself upon the long box, and, rapping upon thewood, turned to some of the watching soldiers and flippantly said,"Boys, can't you put some shavings or something a little softer in mybox? It looks as if it might be a pretty hard nest to rest in."
Instead of laughter or applause greeting his coarse remarks, thesilence and disgust of the assembled soldiers seemed to react withsolemn force upon the condemned man. At last the word was given and thecavalcade departed, leaving the remaining prisoners in the guard-tentdumb with the horror of the event.
Difficult as Noel Curtis had found it, in his previous experiences inthe campaign on the Peninsula, to control his feelings when he foundthat he was actually shooting at a human being, that experience was byno means equal to the suffering which he now was undergoing.
There might be some justification for men making targets of one anotherwhen some great issue had been raised, but the young sharpshooter wasnow fully aware that war was no holiday game. His heart rebelled againstmany of the things which he saw, and yet the supreme issue of it all andthe fact that war had been declared and accepted, and that there was norelief or release until one side or the other in the great conflict hadwon its victory, could not be ignored.
His thoughts now were centered upon the men who had been taken away fromthe tent for their execution. The presence of the detail implied thatboth men were to be shot, a method of execution not quite so revoltingas that by hanging.
Some of the men under sentence in the guard-tent seemed to be dumb withfear, while others more stolidly expressed their complaints over theoutcome of the court-martial which had been held for the two condemnedmen the preceding day.
Several times when shots were heard near the place where the divisionwas in camp, Noel fancied that the report was that of the guns of themen who had been detailed to shoot the two deserters.
In his interview with the colonel the young soldier had been informedthat desertion was becoming so frequent in the army at this time thatorders for the sternest measures to break it up had been issued. No mannow might expect any mercy who should flee from his post of duty.
Sometimes homesickness had been the cause of the men leaving theircomrades. The thoughts or recollections of family and friends in thefar-away North had produced a longing in the midst of the monotony ofthe camp work and of the army life that had been too strong for some toresist. Others, however, had become tired of the service when thenovelty of the first days was gone and had fled simply to evade thedifficulties and drudgery which are a part of the campaign of any army.Whatever the cause may have been, the fact could not be denied, and NoelCurtis understood fully the reasons for the sterner measures which nowwere being used. Perhaps they might be justified, he thought, althoughthe unspeakable horror which had appeared in the expression on the facesof the two condemned men, when at last they were taken from the tent,was something which he was positive he never would be able to forget.
Somehow the morning passed. The guards were changed more frequently, andit was evident to the waiting men that they had not been forgotten inthe midst of the excitement of the army in the knowledge that the enemywas not far distant.
"I thought you were going to send for the chaplain?" suggested Dennis toNoel when an hour or more had elapsed.
"So I am," said Noel promptly. "I had not forgotten it. It doesn't seemto me, though, that any man will be able to help us much, when thecolonel is not willing even to hear what we have to say for ourselves.It seems to me that they ought to give us credit first of all for beinghonest. But his plan apparently is to believe a man guilty and then lethim prove his innocence, if he is able."
"Niver you fear, lad. The chaplain will be able to help us out."
"We'll ask to see him, anyway," said Noel.
Accordingly, when the guard next was called, Noel succeeded inattracting the attention of the sergeant and made known his desire toreceive a visit from the chaplain. Such a visit, he was aware, waspermitted, and he was not without hope that the coming of this man mightbe of assistance to him and his hardly beset comrade.
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Nearly an hour elapsed before the chaplain appeared. He was a young man,and in his face there appeared an expression of friendliness. Noel wasdrawn to him at once, even before he heard the somewhat abrupt and loudtones of his voice.
"What can I do for you?" asked the chaplain, not unkindly, as he enteredthe tent and was informed that Noel was the inmate who had requested thevisit.
"I wanted to see you and tell you my story," said Noel quietly. "I amhere under a false charge."
The interest of the chaplain instantly became less keen, as Noeldiscovered to his dismay.
"That's what every man says," responded the chaplain quietly.
"Well, it's true in my case. Did those poor fellows who were taken outthis morning say they were not to blame?"
"They surely did," said the chaplain. "I wish I was able now to forgetthe horror of that scene. A hollow square was formed and the two coffinswere placed in the open part. I shall never forget the moment when theadjutant-general stepped out into a position a little in front of thecenter of the square. He's a strong man and not much given to sentiment,but his voice trembled, although it was clear and strong, when in thepresence of all the soldiers he read the finding of the court-martial."
"It must have been hard for the men who had been detailed," suggestedNoel in a low voice.
"It was. You understand, however, that the guns used by the provostguard on occasions like that are always loaded by men who have beenappointed for that special purpose. It never would do in the world tolet the soldiers load their own guns."
"Why not?"
"Why, it's more than likely that they would use blank cartridges. No onewants to be responsible for the death of a man even if he is undersentence. That's the reason why the guns never are loaded by those whoare to do the shooting. However, they all know that a blank cartridgehas been placed in one of the guns, but they are never told which one itis. This plan makes every man believe that his gun contained the blankcartridge and that it was not his shot which killed the prisoner. Whilethe adjutant-general was reading the finding of the court-martial thetwo men had to stand up. As soon as the officer had finished reading,both men were ordered to kneel on their coffins and a paper heart waspinned on the coat of each."
"What is a 'paper heart?'" asked Noel.
"Why, it's just a quarter of a sheet of ordinary notepaper. It's white,you know, and provides a mark for the men who are usually selectedbecause they are good shots. One of these poor fellows, after he hadbeen blind-folded, shouted, 'Boys, shoot me here,' as he put his handupon his heart. 'Don't make any mistake, either!' I don't know whetherthe rest of the men heard the final order of the provost guard or not.His voice sounded to me as if it might have been a quarter of a mileaway, it was so indistinct, but somehow he managed to call out--'Ready!''Aim!' 'Fire!'"
"Did they find the paper hearts?" inquired Noel, almost in a whisper.
"Yes, both the poor fellows fell forward on their faces and neverbreathed again."
Dennis O'Hara, who had been listening to the words of the chaplain,although he had not taken part in any of the conversation, couldrestrain his fears no longer.
"But, yer Riverence," he said, "why should they treat an innocent manlike that? I'm tellin' ye that we're the most loyal boys in Little Mac'sarmy. We're both sharpshooters and we both did our part down on thePeninsula. Now to be set up here and shot down like a couple of dogs!Why, instead of desartin', we just were doin' our best to escape fromthe Johnnies. 'Tis pretty hard! The colonel won't listen to a word! Wecan prove it to him, everything we say."
"Is that so?" inquired the chaplain, turning to Noel for confirmation.
"It is, sir," replied Noel.
"I don't know that anything can be done," said the chaplain. "It wouldbe horrible to make such a mistake as that. You are entitled to a trial,anyway. Where is the man who made the charges against you?"
"I don't know," said Noel, "but I don't think he's here. My belief isthat he is a spy, anyway, and part of the time is in the other army."
"Let me take the number of your company and regiment and I shall verygladly see what can be done. I don't want you to build your hopes toohigh, but you may rest assured that I shall do for you all that is in mypower."
As soon as their visitor had jotted down in his notebook the few factsand figures which he asked for, he at once left the tent.