10th/63
Camps Gordan ,Appr.

Mrs Nancy J Harden.
My Dear wife it is with pleasure that I
seat my self to drop you a few lines
which will inform you that I am
well at this time hoping these lines
may reach and find you and Mollie
well and also all the rest of the fam-
ily Connection. I have Just got
back from Town where I have been
Called upon to witness one of the
most horrid Scenes, that I ever
beheld in my life. It is that of
seeing a man shot. the scene was
awful, and terrible to behold. we
were marched out in an old field
and drawn up in long lines of
Battle 2 Regs of Infantry 2 of
Cavalry and some Artilery form-
ing an oblong square, and soon
after we were formed about one
A clock the guard braught out
from the Jail the Condemned man
The Cathalic Priest was with him
his hands were tied in front and
then his elbows in the rear.
[page 2]
his dress was a Common grey
uniform. he was then marched
around inside the square. in the
following order. the Capt.. infront
a band of music playing “Hark,
from Toombs a doleful Sound.”
next. 12 men who were guards came next
and then 4 men came with the coffin
on their shoulders. Next came the
prisoner with the Preist side by side
and then came 12. more men
guarding in the rear.. the Catholic
Preist had on a long black dress
like that of a womans with a
robe of white, with purple and
scarlet borders, in this
Manner they marched around the
lines inside, and then to the centre
at one end next to a grave yard
here they stoped and the Priest
had a long seremony. Then
the man knelt down 10 paces from
the guard in front and the Priest knelt in
the rear the command was then
[line obscured by copy] fire.
[page 3]
and the man fell dead piresced
through by 8 or 12. balls..
We were then marched around him
under the sound of doleful music
and back to our camps. Where I
am now writing the man had
deserted twice and had attemped
to kill his officers, for this offense
they killed him he belonged to
a company of Sharp-Shooters
who are stationed here.
I have been studying tactics very
hard. I have to be examined on the
15th of this month to see if I am
competent to fill the place of a
Corporal.. all our officers have to
be examined on or about that
time. We do not have much war
news here I reccon you all have more
than you know what to do with
When you hearethat we are about
to get into a fight you may know
that there is more excitement in
the country about it than there is here
for we make out like we aint