Boy Martyr of the Confederacy Captured
Little Rock, Arkansas
The story of David O. Dodd, "Boy Martyr of the Confederacy," has even more unanswered questions than that of Sam Davis, "Boy Hero of the Confederacy."
Dodd was stopped at this spot as he crossed from Confederate into Union territory in late 1863. He was found to be carrying a notebook with Morse code that detailed top secret Union military intelligence. Dodd refused to say where the information came from, so the Yankees hanged him as a spy. Dodd's defenders claim he was an innocent dupe; his accusers portray him as clumsy and confused, but guilty.
There's even debate over his posthumous title; some monuments identify him as "Boy Hero," others "Boy Martyr" (The capture spot monument labels him "Arkansas Boy Hero of the War Between the States"). About the only thing that everyone agrees on is that, at age 17 when he was hanged, Dodd was at least technically a boy.