At four p.m., five deserters from the 118th Pennsylvania were executed by firing squad before the entire V Corps, drawn up in formation at Beverly Ford, Virginia. The five, all reportedly foreign-born and all substitutes, were attended by a rabbi, a priest, and a protestant chaplain, and executed together. Newspaper reports estimated that 25,000 troops witnessed the event and praised the action as "a strong example" that had been lacking with earlier cases. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Army of the Potomac - Execution of Deserters," New York Times, September 2, 1863, p. 1.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Crime/Disasters
