Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-03
GEN. DUrLEE TO COL. NAGEUDER.

| HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA,
FORTRESS MONROE, June Is, 1861.
| Col. J. 3. MAGRUBER, Commanding the Forces a
J Yorktown:
/ SIR: Your favor of June 18th. by Can't. Davies
with flag OF truce, was this morning received.
desire first to thank you for the courtesy shown tC
| the flag and its messengers. will accept the ex
/ change for private Carter The two citizens Whit
| ing and Lively, were taken with arms in theii
hands, one Of which was discharged from the house
of Whiting upon the column Of our troops, when
all resistance was useless and when his attack was
simply assassination, and when no Offense had been
committed against him. The house from which the
shot was fred, and g building which formed part
of our OutpOsts are the only cOnhagrations caused
by the trOoTs under my command, and the light of
these had ceased hours before your men ventured
out from under their earthwOrks and bitches to do
US the courtesy Of burying our dead-fOr which
act you have my sneerest thanks. After our troops
returned from the feld-hours after-a building
was burned which furnished our wounded some
shelter and from which we had moved them, but
was not burned by our men. For your kind treat
ment of any wounded you may have, please to ac-
cept my assurances Of deep obligation and with the
certainty that at any and every opportunity, such
courtesy and kindness viii be reciprocated.
lam sorry that an officer so distinguished in the
service Of the United States as yourself could for
a moment, suppose that the wautOn destruction of
private property would, in any way, be authorized
or tolerated by the federal government and its C-
GERS, many OF WHOular your lae GSSOclRteS. Even
now, while your letter is being nswered and this
is en- Its way to you, most ignominous and severe
punishment in the Irs sence of al the troops near
this place is being inflicted on men who have en-
listed in the service Of the United States (nOt sOl>
diers) for plundering private property. All the
pivgte property which could no., by the strict
est construction, be considered contraband of
war, or means Of feeding or aiding the enemy
which has been brought within my llne or in any
way, has come INTO the hands Of my troops, and
discovered with the strctest examination has been
taken account Of, collected together TO be given up
to those peaceabe citizens who have come forward
to make claim for it. board Of secresy has been
organized, and has already reported indemnity for
the property Of peaceabe citizens, necessarily de-
s.royed. In order 10 convince you that 70 wrong
has been done to private property by any one in
authority in the service Of the United States do
myself the honor 10 InclOse a copy of general Or
der from this department which will sufficiently ex
plsin itself; and the most active measures have
been TAKEN rightly to enforce it, and to punish Vio
lations thereof That there have been too many
sporadic cases OF wrong to private properly, COM
mtted by bad men under my command Iadmit
and most sincerely regret and believe they will in
the future, be substantially prevented, and mean
they shall be repaired, in favSr Of al lOyul citi-
zens, as far as lies n my power
You have done me the honor to inform me thEt
vidette Carter is not prisoner taken in battle.
That is quite true-he was asleep on his post, and
informs me that his three companions left in such
haste that they forget to wake him up and they be-
ing mounted, and my men on foot, the race was
difficult one. If it is not the intention Of your au-
thorities to treat the citizens Of Virginia taken in
actual conflict with the United States as soldiers IN
what light shall they be considered? Please inform
me in what light you regard them. If not soldiers
must they not be assassins2
4 sergeant Of Capt Davies command viii be
charged to meet your sergeant at O'clock, at the
village of Hampton for the purpose OF the exchange
Of private Carter.