Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-07-04
thev forgot to wake him up, and they being

they forgot to wake him up, and they bein: mounted, and my men on foot, the rae, was difficult one. If it is not the inten tion of your authorities to treat the citizens | of Virginia, taken in actual conflict witt the United States, as soldiers, in whatligh ht shall they be considered? Please inform me in what light you regard them. If not soldiers, must they not be assassins?
 A sergeant of/ Capt. Davies command will be charged to meet your sergeant at f o'clock, at the village of Hampton, fol the purpose of the exchange of private Carter.
 need not call your attention to the fact that there will be unauthorized acts of vio- lence committed by those who are not suf- fcientlv under the restraint of their com manding officers. My men complain that an ambulance bearing the wounded was fired into by your cavalry, and am informed that if you have any prisoners, they were taken while engaged in the pious duty to their wounded comrades, and not in battle. It has never occurred to my mind that either firing into the ambulance, or captur- ing persons in charge of the wounded men, was an act authorized, recognizei or sane tioned by any gentleman in command of the forces in Virginia. Before this nn- happy strife, had not been so accustomed to regard the acts of my late associate citl- zens of the United States, and 1 have seen nothing in the course of this contest in the acts of those in authority to lead me to a different conclusion.
 1 have the honor to be, most respectful ly, your obedient servant.
 BENJAMIN F. BUTLER.
 P. S.-Incloscd certificate. by Lively and Whiting, which will show you that they, at least, received no harm from the federal troops. B. F. $.
 COL. MAGRUDER TO GEN. BUTLER.
 SIR: 1 have just received yours of the 18th inst. With respect to the firing on the ambulance by the cavalry, have sim ply to say that the statement of your in- dormant Is entirely untrue. My cavalry was never ahead of your column, whose retreat W as so rapid as to cause many of your wounded to be left on the field, while others were carried off in the rear, instead of the front of your column, as they ought to have been, and over bridges which were immediately broken down to prevent pur- suit.
 You say the citizens who defended their homes must be considered either soldiers or assassins. They are neither; but men de- lending their iresides against piratical in vasion, and are entitled to the respect of all good men. Messrs. Whiting and Lively, whose certificate you have obtained while in duress. were captured before Writings house was burned.
 1 stated that they knew the depredations which had been committed on their neigh bors. Those depredations are acknowl edged by you, both in your order and in your letter to me. The last paragraph of your order guaranteeing protection only to citizens at peace with the United States that is, only to persons who think, destroys whatever merit there may have been in the previous clauses. With respect to the vi- dette private Carter, 1 desire respectfully to inform you that when picket of four is placed out for twentyfour hours, as in this case, at least one Is permitted to sleep. This picket had orders to retreat before large force of the enemy. Four men against 5000 constituted, however, such great odds as to have justified the retreat of the picket even without orders. Had private Carter been awake perhaps retreat would not have been necessary.
 Reciprocating the kind expressions con tained in your letter, have the honor to be sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant
 J. BANKHEAD MAcRUDER,
 Colonel Commanding
 To Major Gen. B. F. BUTLER,
 Commanding Fortress Monroe, etc