committed a crime in violating their pledged fiiith, and by the ordinary rules of war, were justly liable to punishment. A few of these men escaped death on account of some technical objec- tions, and a few others on account of some unspecified mitigating circumstances ; but a general order of the 22d of September, 184*7, contained the appalling announcement : " After every effort of the General-in-Chief to save, by judicious discrimination, as many of these miserable con- victs as possible, fifty of them have paid for their trea- chery by an ignominious death upon the gallows."
We have here a most extraordinary confession. The Commander of a victorious army acknowledges his inabihty to rescue from death one of these fifty men. Insiimces have occurred of whole regiments going over to the enemy on the field of battle. In such a case would General Scott feel himself constrained to hano- a thousand men, if acrain in his power ? Was he ignorant, that where large numbers had rendered themselves amenable to punishment, where policy demanded an example, and where humanity forbade a general slaughter, others had resorted to decimation and the lot ? The death of five or ten of these men, and the corporal punishment of