Identifier: daringsufferingh03pitt Title: Daring and suffering: a history of the Andrews Railroad Raid into Georgia in 1862 .. Year: 1887 (1880s) Authors: Pittenger, William, 1840-1904 Subjects: Chattanooga Railroad Expedition, 1862 Publisher: New York, The War Publishing Co. Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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Text Appearing Before Image: e says that he never saw men die as bravely as these. Withuncovered faces they looked steadily and serenely on the surroundingfoe. But they were not to die without a word of testimony that should belong remembered, and which to some hearts then present seemed thedeath-knell of the Confederacy. Wilson was their spokesman. He asked permission to say a wordbefore death, and it was freely accorded. Possibly the surrounding hun-dreds expected to hear some word of pleading or confession—some solu-tion of what still seemed mysterious in the great raid. But if so theywere mistaken. I have received an account of this address from morethan a score of persons who were present—soldiers, citizens, and A Day of Blood. 287 negroes,—and it made the same impression on all. Wilson was a bornorator, and he now spoke with marvelous skill and persuasive eloquence.He had conquered fear and banished all resentment; and his calm anddispassionate earnestness was such as became a man on the threshhold of

Text Appearing After Image: The Speech of Wilson on the Scarijld. another world. He began by telling them that though he was condemnedto death as a spy, he was no spy, but simply a soldier in the performanceof duty; he said that he did not regret dying for his country, for that wasa soldiers duty, but only the manner of death, which was unbecoming toa soldier. Even those who condemned them well knew that they werenot spies; then leaving the personal question, he declared that he had no 288 Daring and Suffering. hard feelings toward the south or her people, with whom he had long beenwell acquainted; that they were generous and brave; he knew they werefighting for what they believed to be right, but they were terribly de-ceived. Their leaders had not permitted them to know the facts in thecase, and they were bringing blood and destruction upon their section ofthe nation for a mere delusion. He declared that the people of the Northloved the whole nation and the flag, and were fighting to uphold them,not to do any i

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