(MILITARY CIVIL WAR) Minutes of a court martial held for a

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(MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) Minutes of a court-martial held for a Union soldier who stole a revolver from Black man. 8 manuscript pages on 4 sheets, 12½x 8 inches, bound at corner in ribbon; folds, minimal wear. [Resaca, GA], 26 July to 13 August 1864

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Private James F. Lein of the 17th Iowa Infantry was charged with stealing a revolver from a Black man at a railroad water station near Dalton, GA on the Atlanta Campaign, just before the fall of Atlanta. According to testimony on the first page, "the train started, at that time I heard somebody say 'Give that back.' I turned round & I saw Lein standing by the car . . . I asked him what it was he had, seeing he had something; he said it was a revolver. I told him he had better give it back to the man it belonged to. Lein stood there looking at it & said he wanted to keep it. The darkey it belonged to jumped off the train & told the conductor in the caboose that a man had stolen his revolver." Other witnesses observed that Lein inquired about buying the revolver, was quoted a price of $10, then upon inspecting it simply took possession without paying and told him to "go to Hell." Lein explained to a fellow soldier that "the darkey had no use for it." Private Lein was pronounced guilty and forfeited two months of pay.

With--14 pages of additional court martial minutes dated Resaca, GA, 26 July to 13 August 1864; and a printed and a manuscript order appointing Lieutenant John W. Boyd of the 10th Missouri Infantry to the Court Martial in Huntsville, AL, 2 and 4 March 1864.