One of the first books to come out in post Civil War writings was "Three Years in the Sixth Corps" by Dr. George T. Stevens, a surgeon assigned to the 77th New York Regiment.
Dr. Stevens was assigned to Gen. Smith's division, part of the 77th New York, during the first winter of the war. Through most of the Civil War, the 77th New York combined with the regiments that formed the Vermont Brigade became known as the Sixth Corps.
Dr. Stevens was closely associated with the Vermont troops and his account of Pvt. William Scott was a soldier's story of the court-martial and pardon. His story was largely based on what he heard from the soldiers who witnessed Scott's moment of glory and eventual tragedy.
In his book, Stevens recounts sympathetically the events that lead up to the court-martial. Scott was found asleep on guard duty and his error could have cost the lives of hundreds of soldiers. Scott however, being a Vermont farm boy was new to army life and unaccustomed to staying awake at night.
Stevens describes the execution scene as a breathless moment in time. In the quiet Fall morning in the Virginia hills, the execution squad slowly aimed their muskets on their fellow soldier and waited for the word to fire. But at the last moment, another paper was read before the troops. The paper was a pardon from President Lincoln. Stevens describes the joy the pardon gave the troops and the national inspiration the pardon gave Lincoln. The President was a hero to the common soldier and a leader to be trusted.
The pardon of Private Scott by Lincoln was a first at the beginning of the Civil War. Scott's case gained national interest because at the beginning of America's deadliest war, one soldier's life was regarded with far more value than later when thousands would die in one battle. Scott's fault at guard duty and its consequences became an incident that held the general acceptance of the war in question. The newspaper reports at that time and descriptions of Scott's court-martial by writers after the war, were far more about Lincoln's humanity as a leader than about the soldier from Vermont who slept through his watch.
Stevens wrote that President Lincoln worried his signed pardon would not reach the camp in time to save Scott. To ensure the pardon reached its destination, Lincoln is said to have personally ridden by carriage to the camp to carry out the pardon.
Stevens wrote that after the pardon, Scott told his friends he would prove to the President he was not afraid to die. At Lee's Mill where 200 Union soldiers crossed the swamp in a bloody rush on the fortified Confederate troops, Scott was in the front of the charge and one of the first to be cut down by musket fire. He died a day later and Stevens wrote that his comrades mourned his loss but his glorious death in battle overshadowed the sad fate he narrowly escaped if not for the compassion of President Lincoln.
No comments:
Post a Comment