On this episode of Our American Stories, the Civil War soldier, William Scott, fell asleep at his post, at the time a transgression punishable by execution. What happened next changed military history.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next a
story from Jonathan White, who's a professor of American Studies
at Christopher Newport University and is a Jack Miller Center Fellow.
The Jack Miller Center is a nationwide network of scholars
and teachers dedicated to educating the next generation about America's
(00:31):
founding principles and history. To learn more of visit Jackmillercenter
dot org. Let's take a listen to the story.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Around two thousand and eight, I had the idea to
write a history of dreams during the Civil War. I
wanted to know what sleep was like for Union and
Confederate soldiers and for the men and women who remained
on the home front. What did nighttime sound like, how
dark was it? What did soldiers use for pillows, what
kept them up at night? And what did they dream about.
(01:08):
My book came out in twenty seventeen with the University
of North Carolina Press. It's called Midnight in America, Darkness,
Sleep and Dreams. During the Civil War. When I was
researching Midnight in America, I kept coming across the story
of a young soldier from Vermont named William Scott. William
(01:29):
Scott was twenty two years old when he mustered into
the third Vermont Infantry in July eighteen sixty one. He
was a big, awkward country boy with a big heart.
Within a few weeks of enlisting, Private Scott found himself
encamped near Washington, d C. On August twenty ninth, he
volunteered to take picket duty for a sick friend. The
(01:50):
next night, he had to serve on picket again. He
was very tired, now, not having really slept for two days.
He couldn't keep his eyes from drooping shut, and sometime
between three and four in the morning on August thirty first,
Scott was found asleep at his post. Falling asleep at
(02:11):
one's post violated the articles of war, and so Scott
was arrested in court martial. His trial commenced at ten
am on Tuesday, September third. He pleaded innocent to the charge,
but offered no defense. He was quickly found guilty and
sentenced to be shot to death on September ninth. Now
(02:32):
professional soldiers believed that sleeping sentinels like William Scott should
be executed. They believed that the death penalty would set
an example to other soldiers that you must stay awake
at your post. Union General William to comes to Sherman
said that a superhuman effort should be made to correct
the evil of soldiers falling asleep while on guard. So
(02:55):
on the morning of September ninth, eighteen sixty one, the
third Vermont Infantry and several other regiments were lined up
to witness Scott's execution. A firing squad of twelve men
took its position. According to one report, one of Scott's
brothers was among the twelve executioners. But as the assembled
troops stood watching, something unexpected happened. Rather than read the
(03:21):
sentence of execution, an officer ready pardon. It stated that
President Lincoln had decided to show young Private Scott mercy.
The soldiers who witnessed this scene gave a rousing cheer.
One Democrat in the army was so elated that he
pledged to vote for Old Abe if he is ever
a candidate again. Private Scott was released and returned to duty.
(03:46):
At least two thousand Union soldiers were court martialed during
the Civil War for falling asleep at their post. About
ninety of them were sentenced to be executed. Lincoln commuted
the sentences of all ninety. Today, we understand that the
human body requires a fixed amount of rest for the
brain's motor skills to function properly. In the nineteenth century,
(04:09):
the army didn't know any better. Professional soldiers thought that
falling asleep on picket reflected the inherent weakness of a
person's character. They thought he was ill disciplined, even immoral.
Within this context, Lincoln's pardoning of William Scott and the
other sleeping sentinels takes on a special meaning. Lincoln was
(04:31):
not simply showing mercy to young soldiers. His pardon was
an act of justice. Now. For his part, William Scott
was so moved by Lincoln's kindness that he said, I
will show President Lincoln that I am not afraid to
die for my country. Poor William Scott did just that
(04:51):
a few months later. On April sixteenth, eighteen sixty two,
Private Scott fell at the Battle of Damn Number One
in what is now Newport News Park, just a few
miles up the road from where I teach at Christopher
Newport University. The battle was part of the Peninsula Campaign
in the spring of eighteen sixty two, when the Union
(05:14):
Army left Fort Monroe and marched its way up the
Virginia Peninsula in an attempt to capture Richmond. On April sixteenth,
the Union troops found the Confederates entrenched behind earthworks on
the other side of the Warwick River, holding their guns, ammunition,
and gunpowder above their heads to keep them dry. They
waded into the water and marched slowly across to attack
(05:36):
the men in gray. A hailstorm of Confederate bullets and
shrapnel peppered the water around them, and William Scott was
hit six times. Later, one of Scott's comrades sent a
letter to Lincoln describing Scott's dying words. Tell President Lincoln
that I thank him for his generous regard for me
(05:57):
when a poor soldier under the sentence of death. Tell
him that I died for my country with six bullets
shot into me by my enemies and his enemies and
my country's enemies. And oh, tell him that I hope
that God will guide and direct him and take care
of him in all the scenes through which he may
be called to pass. Yes, God bless President Lincoln, for
(06:20):
he will one day give him victory over all our enemies.
Following his death, Scott's story evolved into a powerful morality
tale that not only taught soldiers to do their duty,
but also showed the nation that their commander in chief
was a kind hearted man. In eighteen sixty three, a
poem called The Sleeping Sentinel instantly gained a wide readership
(06:44):
throughout the North. On January nineteenth, eighteen sixty three, the
celebrated elocutionist James Murdoch read The Sleeping Sentinel before an
audience at the White House that included the President and
First Lady. Later that day, Murdoch read the poem in
the Senate Chamber at the US Capitol, again with Abraham
(07:05):
and Mary Lincoln in attendance. Murdoch then toured the country
reciting the poem. Three thousand people thronged to hear him
at the American Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Enthusiastic crowds
flocked to hear it in Baltimore, Albany, Boston, and other cities.
Over the next few years, the Sleeping Sentinel would also
(07:27):
be read to soldiers in the field to encourage them
to remain brave and faithful in their duties. The poem
traces Private Scott's life from the pure mountain air of
Vermont to his selfless and patriotic enlistment. The poem compares
Scott to the devoted but weak disciples of Christ who
(07:48):
fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemine shortly before the Crucifixion.
Yet Jesus, with compassion moved beheld their heavy eyes, and
though betrayed to ruthless fees forgiving, bade them rise. The
poem then shifts to the White House, where Lincoln, in
a dark, secluded room, paces back and forth, his heart
(08:12):
burdened with the grief of a nation that is suffering,
and yet amid the din of war, he heard the
plaintive cry of that poor soldier as he lay in prison,
doomed to die. The poem then takes the reader to
the army camp, where a manacled ashamed private Scott awaits
(08:33):
his execution, But rather than be shot to death, Lincoln
saves the day he came to save that stricken soul
now waking from despair, And from a thousand voices rose
a shout which rent the air. The pardoned soldier understood
the tones of jubilee, and, bounding from his fetters, blessed
(08:55):
the hand that made him free. The Sleeping Sentinel is
story of redemption and sacrifice. Lincoln is a messianic figure
who saves a penitent young sinner, and William Scott becomes
a martyr for justice and right, sacrificing his own life
for his nation, his cause, and his savior. Today, you
(09:19):
can visit the spot where William Scott was killed in
Newport News Park. As you walk across the Warwick River
on a wooden footbridge, you approached the very same earthworks
that concealed the Confederates in eighteen sixty two. And if
you drive a few miles to the National Cemetery in Yorktown, Virginia,
you can visit William Scott's grave. It's a quiet, peaceful spot.
(09:44):
You'll find him resting in plot number three hundred and
fifty one. When you go, you can reflect on the
sacrifices of the Civil War generation and the wisdom and
mercy of a great American leader.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And a terrific job on the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler, and a special thanks to
Jonathan White, who was a professor of American Studies at
Christopher Newport University. Special thanks also to the Jack Miller Center,
and what a story about. William Scott, twenty two years old,
joins the third Vermont Infantry and ultimately falls asleep at
(10:25):
the post and quickly found guilty and ordered to be
shot to death. At the time in eighteen sixty one,
as the sentence of execution was about to be read,
instead was read a pardon, the story of a soldier,
the story of a merciful President, and a beautiful President
Abraham Lincoln. Here on our American stories.
And we continue with our American stories. Up next a
story from Jonathan White, who's a professor of American Studies
at Christopher Newport University and is a Jack Miller Center Fellow.
The Jack Miller Center is a nationwide network of scholars
and teachers dedicated to educating the next generation about America's
(00:31):
founding principles and history. To learn more of visit Jackmillercenter
dot org. Let's take a listen to the story.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Around two thousand and eight, I had the idea to
write a history of dreams during the Civil War. I
wanted to know what sleep was like for Union and
Confederate soldiers and for the men and women who remained
on the home front. What did nighttime sound like, how
dark was it? What did soldiers use for pillows, what
kept them up at night? And what did they dream about.
(01:08):
My book came out in twenty seventeen with the University
of North Carolina Press. It's called Midnight in America, Darkness,
Sleep and Dreams. During the Civil War. When I was
researching Midnight in America, I kept coming across the story
of a young soldier from Vermont named William Scott. William
(01:29):
Scott was twenty two years old when he mustered into
the third Vermont Infantry in July eighteen sixty one. He
was a big, awkward country boy with a big heart.
Within a few weeks of enlisting, Private Scott found himself
encamped near Washington, d C. On August twenty ninth, he
volunteered to take picket duty for a sick friend. The
(01:50):
next night, he had to serve on picket again. He
was very tired, now, not having really slept for two days.
He couldn't keep his eyes from drooping shut, and sometime
between three and four in the morning on August thirty first,
Scott was found asleep at his post. Falling asleep at
(02:11):
one's post violated the articles of war, and so Scott
was arrested in court martial. His trial commenced at ten
am on Tuesday, September third. He pleaded innocent to the charge,
but offered no defense. He was quickly found guilty and
sentenced to be shot to death on September ninth. Now
(02:32):
professional soldiers believed that sleeping sentinels like William Scott should
be executed. They believed that the death penalty would set
an example to other soldiers that you must stay awake
at your post. Union General William to comes to Sherman
said that a superhuman effort should be made to correct
the evil of soldiers falling asleep while on guard. So
(02:55):
on the morning of September ninth, eighteen sixty one, the
third Vermont Infantry and several other regiments were lined up
to witness Scott's execution. A firing squad of twelve men
took its position. According to one report, one of Scott's
brothers was among the twelve executioners. But as the assembled
troops stood watching, something unexpected happened. Rather than read the
(03:21):
sentence of execution, an officer ready pardon. It stated that
President Lincoln had decided to show young Private Scott mercy.
The soldiers who witnessed this scene gave a rousing cheer.
One Democrat in the army was so elated that he
pledged to vote for Old Abe if he is ever
a candidate again. Private Scott was released and returned to duty.
(03:46):
At least two thousand Union soldiers were court martialed during
the Civil War for falling asleep at their post. About
ninety of them were sentenced to be executed. Lincoln commuted
the sentences of all ninety. Today, we understand that the
human body requires a fixed amount of rest for the
brain's motor skills to function properly. In the nineteenth century,
(04:09):
the army didn't know any better. Professional soldiers thought that
falling asleep on picket reflected the inherent weakness of a
person's character. They thought he was ill disciplined, even immoral.
Within this context, Lincoln's pardoning of William Scott and the
other sleeping sentinels takes on a special meaning. Lincoln was
(04:31):
not simply showing mercy to young soldiers. His pardon was
an act of justice. Now. For his part, William Scott
was so moved by Lincoln's kindness that he said, I
will show President Lincoln that I am not afraid to
die for my country. Poor William Scott did just that
(04:51):
a few months later. On April sixteenth, eighteen sixty two,
Private Scott fell at the Battle of Damn Number One
in what is now Newport News Park, just a few
miles up the road from where I teach at Christopher
Newport University. The battle was part of the Peninsula Campaign
in the spring of eighteen sixty two, when the Union
(05:14):
Army left Fort Monroe and marched its way up the
Virginia Peninsula in an attempt to capture Richmond. On April sixteenth,
the Union troops found the Confederates entrenched behind earthworks on
the other side of the Warwick River, holding their guns, ammunition,
and gunpowder above their heads to keep them dry. They
waded into the water and marched slowly across to attack
(05:36):
the men in gray. A hailstorm of Confederate bullets and
shrapnel peppered the water around them, and William Scott was
hit six times. Later, one of Scott's comrades sent a
letter to Lincoln describing Scott's dying words. Tell President Lincoln
that I thank him for his generous regard for me
(05:57):
when a poor soldier under the sentence of death. Tell
him that I died for my country with six bullets
shot into me by my enemies and his enemies and
my country's enemies. And oh, tell him that I hope
that God will guide and direct him and take care
of him in all the scenes through which he may
be called to pass. Yes, God bless President Lincoln, for
(06:20):
he will one day give him victory over all our enemies.
Following his death, Scott's story evolved into a powerful morality
tale that not only taught soldiers to do their duty,
but also showed the nation that their commander in chief
was a kind hearted man. In eighteen sixty three, a
poem called The Sleeping Sentinel instantly gained a wide readership
(06:44):
throughout the North. On January nineteenth, eighteen sixty three, the
celebrated elocutionist James Murdoch read The Sleeping Sentinel before an
audience at the White House that included the President and
First Lady. Later that day, Murdoch read the poem in
the Senate Chamber at the US Capitol, again with Abraham
(07:05):
and Mary Lincoln in attendance. Murdoch then toured the country
reciting the poem. Three thousand people thronged to hear him
at the American Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Enthusiastic crowds
flocked to hear it in Baltimore, Albany, Boston, and other cities.
Over the next few years, the Sleeping Sentinel would also
(07:27):
be read to soldiers in the field to encourage them
to remain brave and faithful in their duties. The poem
traces Private Scott's life from the pure mountain air of
Vermont to his selfless and patriotic enlistment. The poem compares
Scott to the devoted but weak disciples of Christ who
(07:48):
fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemine shortly before the Crucifixion.
Yet Jesus, with compassion moved beheld their heavy eyes, and
though betrayed to ruthless fees forgiving, bade them rise. The
poem then shifts to the White House, where Lincoln, in
a dark, secluded room, paces back and forth, his heart
(08:12):
burdened with the grief of a nation that is suffering,
and yet amid the din of war, he heard the
plaintive cry of that poor soldier as he lay in prison,
doomed to die. The poem then takes the reader to
the army camp, where a manacled ashamed private Scott awaits
(08:33):
his execution, But rather than be shot to death, Lincoln
saves the day he came to save that stricken soul
now waking from despair, And from a thousand voices rose
a shout which rent the air. The pardoned soldier understood
the tones of jubilee, and, bounding from his fetters, blessed
(08:55):
the hand that made him free. The Sleeping Sentinel is
story of redemption and sacrifice. Lincoln is a messianic figure
who saves a penitent young sinner, and William Scott becomes
a martyr for justice and right, sacrificing his own life
for his nation, his cause, and his savior. Today, you
(09:19):
can visit the spot where William Scott was killed in
Newport News Park. As you walk across the Warwick River
on a wooden footbridge, you approached the very same earthworks
that concealed the Confederates in eighteen sixty two. And if
you drive a few miles to the National Cemetery in Yorktown, Virginia,
you can visit William Scott's grave. It's a quiet, peaceful spot.
(09:44):
You'll find him resting in plot number three hundred and
fifty one. When you go, you can reflect on the
sacrifices of the Civil War generation and the wisdom and
mercy of a great American leader.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And a terrific job on the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler, and a special thanks to
Jonathan White, who was a professor of American Studies at
Christopher Newport University. Special thanks also to the Jack Miller Center,
and what a story about. William Scott, twenty two years old,
joins the third Vermont Infantry and ultimately falls asleep at
(10:25):
the post and quickly found guilty and ordered to be
shot to death. At the time in eighteen sixty one,
as the sentence of execution was about to be read,
instead was read a pardon, the story of a soldier,
the story of a merciful President, and a beautiful President
Abraham Lincoln. Here on our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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