In November 1863, David Creigh killed a Union soldier who robbed his home in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Seven months later, in June 1864, federal officials convicted Creigh of murder and sentenced him to be executed. A slaveholder and the father of a Confederate soldier, Creigh, unaware of his imminent death, hoped to see his family again. Union Army officials, however, ensured the family's earthly separation. Creigh wrote to his wife before his execution and confided that, after he had eaten his supper, he was "taken into a house and the sentence pronounced that I was to be hung." Creigh's Christian faith allowed him to meet his death with peace and instilled in him a belief that he would meet his wife and twelve children in heaven. Concluding his letter with a call to faith, Creigh prayed that "God be your stay and support, trusting in God, and preparing to meet in heaven." Shortly after sunrise on June 11, 1864, the Union Army tied a piece of rope to a tree limb, placed the other end around Creigh's neck, stood him in a wagon, and pulled the cart from beneath him. The scene must have been horrific, as the executor admitted years later that he did not know enough to tie down the convicted man's arms and legs before the hanging.1