The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-07-30
PREsIDENT DAVIS TO PRESIDENT
LINCOLN.

LINCOLN.
The following is the letter OF President laws
TO President Lincoln, together Win the rePoi' y,
the officer who conveyed the dispatches, in regard
to the treatment of prisoners.
RICHMOND, 9th July, 1861.
10 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President, and conn.,
nander-iu- Chief Of the Army and Nary g
the United States:
SIR: Having learned that the schr. savannah
private armed vessel in the service and sallng
under a commission issued by authority OF tne
Confederate States of America mao oeeh Cd u.ou
bv one of the vessels forming the blockadlng
souadron off Charleston harbor, directed prop
ostiop to be made to the officer commanding that
squadron for an exchange OF the othcers ana crew
of the Savannah for prisoners OF war heo ny t"is
Government "according to number ana ranA'
To this proposition, made on the 18TH uit., CaP''
Mercer. the officer in command Of the blockadng
squadron, made answer the same day that tine
prisoners preferred toy are not on board OF any "a
the vessels under my command. =,
1t now appears, by statements made without
contradiction in newspapers published in N. York,
that the prisoners above mentioned were conveyed
to that city, and have there been treated not as
prisoners of war, but as criminals: that they nave
been put in irons, confined in Jail, brought before
the Courts of Justice on charges Of piracy and
treason, and it is rumored that they have
been actually convicted of the offences charged,
for no other reason than that they bore arms in
defence Of the rights Of this Government and I'M
der the authority of its commission.
| could not without grave discourtesy have
made the newspaper statements above referred to,
the subject of this communication, If the threat
of treating pirates the citizens of this Conted-
eracy armed for its service on the high seas, had
not been contained in your proclamation Of the -
April last That proclamation however, seems to
afford sufficient justification for considering
these published statements not devoid Of prob
ability
1t is the desire of this Government so to con-
duct the war now existing as to mitigate its hor-
rors as far as may be possible; and, with this IN
tent, it's treatment Of the prisoners captured by
its forces has been marked by the greatest hu
mainly and leniency consistent with public oblIga-
ton some have been permitted to return home
on parole, others to remain at large under similar
condition within this Confederacy, and all have
been furnished with rati0ns for their subsistence,
such allowed to our own troops. 1t is only
since the news has been received of the treatment
of the prisoners taken on the Savannah, that l
have been compelled to withdraw these indu gen
cies and hold the prisoners taken by in strict
confinement
\ just regard to humanity and to the honor of
this Government now requires to state
p!icitly, that painful as will be the necessity this
Government will deal out to the prisoners held by
it, the treatment and the fate shall
be experienced by those captured on the Savan-
nah and if driven to the terrible necessity of re-
taliation by your execution of any of the officers
or the crew Of the Savannah, that retaliation will
be extended so far shall be requisite to secure
the abandonment of practice unknown to the
warfare Of civilized man and so barbarous as to
disgrace the nation which shall be guilty of inau-
gurating IT,
With this view, and because it may not have
reached you l now the proposition made to
the commander Of the blockading squadron, to
change for the prisoners taken On the Savannah,
an equal number of those now held by U.S. accord
ing to rank.
[ am, sir, yours, &C.,
JEFFERSON DAVIS,
President, and Commandments Chief of the
L1Dn md Nl11,u of tie (Ln Eedeunt. ,Stnk..