In Part I, we are introduced to Peyton Farquhar, a plantation owner and secessionist very much devoted to the Southern cause, just as he is about to be executed by some Union soldiers. Just when he is about to be hanged, he tries to "fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children," and he begins to feel as though time is slowing down.
In Part II, we get more background on Farquhar, including what it was that led to his death sentence: a Federal scout told him how important the railroad lines, especially the bridges, are to the Union and gave him some information about how easy it would be to burn one particular rail bridge down. He also mentions that the penalty for interfering with the lines is death. We can assume that this is the crime for which Farquhar has been sentenced.
In Part III, Farquhar imagines that the rope snaps, he gets away, walking through the woods day and night, until he is just about to reach his wife's arms. Suddenly, his neck snaps in the noose, and Farquhar hangs dead.
Those are the key events of each part in a nutshell.
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