| Address |
| 1201 McMath Ave, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA (Little Rock, Arkansas)
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| Information |
David Owen Dodd
On December 30, seventeen-year-old David Owen Dodd was stopped by Union soldiers about eleven miles from this location. He had earlier crossed Union lines from Little Rock and had the appropriate Federal pass. At that prior location, the sentry had torn the pass up, saying the boy wouldn't need it because he was leaving Union territory. He explained this to the troops who had stopped him at this new point, but they found his manner suspicious and took him into custody. He was taken to a nearby house where he was interrogated and told to empty his pockets. In his belongings they discovered a small notebook, in which one page was written entirely in Morse code.
Dodd was transported to the Arsenal in Little Rock and a telegrapher was called in to interpret the code. What they found was a detailed account of Union positions and weapons deployed in the city of Little Rock. They began a series of interviews with Dodd, but he gave them little information. The Court Martial took four days and Dodd was found guilty of spying for the Confederacy and sentenced to hang.
The people of Little Rock were greatly interested in the case and were said to admire the boy's silence. There was talk that the Confederate Army might sweep in on the day of execution and free him before he was put to death. It never happened.
The Execution
The day of the execution, on January 8, 1864, a mass of Little Rock residents descended on the spot of execution. There they found hundreds of Union soldiers lined up and protecting the gallows. There is an estimate of over 6,000 people that were present that day. At 3:00 P.M., the wagon approached carrying Dodd, who was sitting in an already pre-made wooden coffin.
The wagon backed up to the gallows and Dodd was made to stand on the tailgate and his hands and legs were tied. At that point, the executioner realized he had no blindfold, which was mandatory at military execution. Dodd told the man, "You will find a handkerchief in my coat pocket." They searched and found the handkerchief, which was quickly tied around his head and covered his eyes. A few words were spoken and then the tailgate latch was released.
The tailgate stood low to the ground so there was not enough force to snap the boy's neck, as is the typical form at executions. Instead, the rope stretched out and the boy's feet barely touched the ground below him. As the rope tightened and the boy began to struggle, a Union soldier reportedly climbed to the top of the gallows and pulled tight on the rope, hoping to bring the boy a quick death. Instead, the boy reportedly fought and struggled for over five minutes before finally coming to a rest. It is said that the local residents and Union soldiers became ill and some fainted at the sight of the botched execution. His body was quickly taken to nearby Mount Holly Cemetery and buried in a quiet service.
Boy Hero of the Confederacy
There are countless remembrances and memorials for David Dodd in Little Rock. The location where he was placed under arrest is now David O. Dodd Elementary School on the corner of David O. Dodd Road. An eight-foot memorial with the words "Boy Martyr of the Confederacy" now marks his grave and each January, the Sons of Confederate Veterans come to pay their respects. There is even a stained-glass window of Dodd at the Confederate Museum in Richmond, Virginia that was displayed in the Little Rock Arsenal for a short time. And then there is this monument, marking the spot of a horrible nightmare for all of those involved in Dodd's execution. |
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| University of Mississippi |
| Carnton Plantation |
| The Little Rock Arsenal |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: The Ghastly Execution of David Dodd (01/08/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
Boy hero of the Confederacy: The life, legend, and execution of David Owen Dodd |
Arkansas History: An Annotated Bibliography (Bibliographies of the States of the United States) |
Spies of the Confederacy |
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