Americus Weekly Recorder in Americus, Georgia

Brave young man faces execution in Bragg era tale

Dawson Ga June 10 1862 a dramatic Civil War anecdote recounts a young soldier refusing to work while Bragg eyes blaze with anger. A Louisiana lieutenant averts execution by ordering six men to escort the youth to a grove and back. The man hands his watch and ring to his mother then stands ready as muskets point at him. Bragg later asks of the fate, only the lieutenant and a few witnesses recall the scene with vivid detail. The tale closes with uncertainty over the youth’s fate and Bragg’s harsh discipline tempered by pity.