excitement; but Colonel Williams was perfectly cool after the first moment of detection.

Colonel Baird now telegraphed the facts to General Rosecrans, and received the laconic reply, to try the prisoners by court-martial, and if found guilty, hang them at once, to prevent all possibility of Forrest's profiting by their information. Now came the severe struggle; the prisoners had confessed their guilt, but to hang two such men, of their rank, was a terrible task, but Colonel Baird was equal to the emergency, and knowing the exigencies of the service, proceeded promptly to obey General Rosecrans order.

A court-martial was called by Colonel Baird to sit at once the charges and specifications were duly presented, and the court thus sitting, at the dead hour of night, after carefully and patiently hearing the confessions and other evidence, performed the sad and painful duty of finding the prisoners guilty of being spies, and Colonel Baird, under General Rosecrans' order, approved the finding, and sentenced Colonel Williams and Lieutenant Peters to be hung by the neck until dead!

At four o'clock on the morning of the 9th of June, Colonel Baird informed the prisoners of their awful fate, and could not refrain from shedding tears as he announced it to them. Colonel Williams received his sentence with the most perfect coolness; but begged that as his father had fallen in our country's service at Monterey, in the Mexican war, that he might be shot, and asked mercy for Lieutenant Peters; but under Rosecrans' imperative order no clemency could be shown.

After the sentence of the prisoners was announced, they began to prepare to meet their fate. They made

their wills, and wrote letters to their friends full of the

deepest affection and tenderness. A chaplain was called, and the prisoners partook of the sacrament, and joined in prayer with great fervency. They did not attempt to sleep, but spent the whole time in either writing or conversing.

At the request of Colonel Williams, Colonel Watkins took charge of his effects, which consisted of eleven hundred and seventy-five dollars in Confederate money, a fine watch, and some private papers. Lieutenant Peters had very few effects about his person, the only one of importance being a gold locket, containing a likeness of his wife, with a fine gold chain attached. He requested it to be buried with him, which was faithfully done.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Captain Alexander, who had taken charge of the execution, reported the scaffold and gallows ready. The infantry and cavalry were formed in hollow square about the place of execution at half-past nine the prisoners were brought forward by the guard. They marched with firm tread, and mounting the scaffold, took an affectionate leave of each other, when the halters were placed about their necks, and they were launched into eternity.

Thus two officers, who were born and bred gentlemen, one a regular army officer of the United States service, who had been educated and given position by our Government, expiated their crimes of treason. against the Government they were taught to love and respect, and were bound in honor and duty to defend.

Protected by the forged papers they had in their possession, had they succeeded in getting the countersign, on the night of their visit to. Colonel Baird's camp. they could have marched a brigade of Rebels into our

forts, and captured our whole command without resistance; or if true, as they stated, they had inspected our whole front, they could have given Bragg such information as might have led to the most appalling disasters to Rosecrans' whole command.-A. B. V., Cor. CIN. COM. Our happy Government fain would they subvert, They sought its ruin and they felt its hurt.

STORY LXXI.

GATHERING BUTTERNUTS IN TENNESSEE.

ON Tuesday, the 3d of March, 1863, General Steadman ordered Colonel Bishop, of the 3d Minnesota, to take his regiment, a section of the 4th Regular Battery, under Lieutenant Stephenson, and 600 of Johnson's 1st East Tennessee Cavalry, and proceed forthwith to Harpeth River. Anticipating a fight, I went with the detach

ment.

As we passed through Nolinsville and Triune, the few Butternut inhabitants gazed, with apparent envy, at our well-clad soldiers. About nine o'clock at night we reached the river; where the infantry bivouacked for the night: the artillery planted their pieces in eligible positions; while the cavalry crossed the river, and commenced the search for Rebel gentry, who were supposed to be on short leave of absence to their homes. Quite a number of citizen soldiers were thus picked up.

Major Tracy, of the cavalry, then proceeded with a dozen men to the residence of General Starnes, and surrounded it, hoping to find the General at home: but the bird had flown the day previous. The Major, however,

being a searching man, and full of inquiry, looked under the beds, and in the closets, then asked who was up stairs? "No one," was the reply, "but my brother, and he has never been in the army."

Major Tracy took a candle, went up, saw the young man, and asked him where the man had gone to who had been in the bed with him. The young man protested no one had been there, and Mrs. Starnes pledged her word, on the "honor of a Southern lady," that there was no one else in the house. But the Major turned down the sheets, and being a discerning man, discovered the imprint of another person having been in the bed: and from the distance they had lain apart, he felt sure it

was not a woman.

So, telling Mrs. Starnes he hadn't much faith in the honor of a Southern woman, under such circumstances, he though he would take a peep through a dormantwindow that projected from the roof, and there, sure enough, sat Major Starnes, a son of the Rebel General, in his shirt-tail, breeches and boots in hand, afraid to stir. It was a bitter cold night, and the poor fellow shook like an aspen leaf. He presented at once, a pitiable, yet ludicrous aspect. After taking him, and collecting some twenty or thirty horses, they returned to their headquarters, on this side of the river.—[Alf. BURNETT.]

STORY LXXII.

COLONEL BENJAMIN H. GRIERSON'S RAID.

In pursuance of a plan for the destruction of all lines of communication between the Rebel Army of the West,

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and that of General Bragg, in Middle Tennessee, Colonel Grierson, by order of General Grant, moved his forces, consisting of the 6th Illinois Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Loomis; 7th Illinois Cavalry, Colonel Edward Prince, and the 2d Iowa Cavalry, Colonel Edward Hatch, from Lagrange, Tennessee, out on the Ripley road, and bivouacked for the night, on the plantation of Mr. Davis, five miles northwest of Ripley. This was on the 15th of April, 1863.

Bridge, un

be to break that part o

enemy wer

Our forces.

On the morning of the 18th of April, the command proceeded to Ripley. From thence, the 2d Iowa, marching on the left flank of the column, took a southeast course, crossing the Tallahatchie five miles northeast of New Albany. The main body proceeded due south, crossing the river two miles east of that point. Simultaneously, a battalion of the 7th Illinois, commanded by Major Graham, marched on the right flank of the column, and crossed at New Albany.

Colonel AM. me

Hatch mar

et detac olumn, wh

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portion of

the exchan

The Rebel General Chandler, then stationed with a body of troops at Senatobia, a few miles from New Albany, had his pickets on both sides of the river, to prevent our crossing. With these, all portions of Grierson's command had skirmishing, at times, till they were driven in. They attempted to fire the bridge at New Albany, but were prevented.

tough th

guage w which was

The 6th and 7th Iowa encamped about four miles south of New Albany; the 2d Iowa four miles east of the same place. Near midnight, this regiment was attacked by a considerable force of the enemy, which was promptly repulsed.

Colonel

of Pontoto

the road le

On the morning of the 19th. several movements were made by detachments, for the purpose of inducing the enemy, who were encamped in some force at King's