This week in 1863

“I see it now, it is all bright.”

— Hiram Reynolds, convicted of murder, hanging, Tennessee.
Executed August 12, 1863

Hiram Reynolds had already proven himself a capable soldier as a veteran of the Mexican-American War. A widower with two children, he was court-martialed during his service in the Civil War, after he shot and killed Private Washington Mosier in a duel. Rev. John R. Adams, an army chaplain, rode with Reynolds as he was transported to the gallows in Nashville. Having been silent during most of the trip, Reynolds spoke his last words to Rev. Adams.