Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-29
JEFF. DAVIS ON GENERAL BUTLER.

NEW YORK, Dec. q.
The following are Davis allegations against
General Butler:
Peaceful and aged citizens, un-esisting cap
tives and non-combat8nts, have been confined at
hard labor with chains attached to their limbs,
and are still so held in dungeons and fortresses.
Others have been submitted to like degrading
punishment for selling medicine to sick soldiers
OF the Confederacy. Soldiers Of the United States
have been invited and encouraged in general or
ders to insult and outrage the wives, mothers
and sisters ofour citizens. Helpless women have
been torn from their homes and subjected to sol
itary confinement, some in rtresses and prisons.
and one especially on an island Of barren sand,
undera tropical sun, have been fed with lORth-
some ratOus that had been condemned as unfit
for soldiers, and have been exposed to the viIest
insults. Prisoners ofWar, who surrendered to
tie naval forces of the United States on agree
ment that they should be released on parole, have
ueen seized and kept in close confinement Re-
Peated Pretexts have been sought or invented
Tor plunderng the inhabitants Of captured cities
by fines levied and collected under threat OF i'm
prisonlng recusants at hard labor with ball and
chain: The entire population of New Orleans
have been forced to elect between starvation by
conhscation Of all their property, and taking an
oath against conscience to bear allegiance to the
invader OF their country. Egress from the city
has been refused to those whose fortitude with
stood the test, and even to lone and aged women
and TO helpless children, and after being elected
from their homes and robbed Of their property,
they have been LEFT to starve in the streets or
subSlst on charity. Slaves have been driven from
the plantations IN the vicinity of New Orleans,
until their owners would consent to share their
crops with the Commanding General, his broth
er, Andrew J. Butler, and other officers, and
when such consent had been extorted, slaves
have been restored to plantations and there com
PEELED to work under the bayonets of the guard
Of United States soldiers
Where that partnership was refused, armed
expeditions have been sent to plantations to rob
them Of every thing that was susceptib Of re-
#6fR, faaes R u b te2 eA Aeed aE igt fno no tef
forced from homes provided by their owners, and
driven to wander helpless on the highway.
BY recent 0 der, No. 81, the entire property
n that part OF Louisiana, west Ofthe Miss ssippI
river, has been sequestrated for confscatiOn,
and officers have been assigned to duty with Or
ders to gather up and collect together personal
property and tuin over to the proper officers
upon their receipts, such of sid properly ss may
be required for the use of his army TO collect
together pc sonal property and bring the
same 10 New Orleans and cause it to be sold at
public ct on 20 the highest bidder; an order
which II execu ed condemns to p nj hment by
starvstlOn at lie st n quaTter Of a million # all
ages, sexes and conditions, snd of which the ex-
ecutOn, although forbidden TO military officers
by the orders of President Lincoln, is in accord
snce with the cOnfscation law OF our enemies
which ne has enforced through the agency Of
cruel officials ana finally the African slaves have
not only been melted to insurrectiOn by every Ii
eense and encouragement. but numbers of them
have actually been armed for a servie war-a war
in its nature far exceeding the horrors an most
mercIless atrocities Of savages and whereas
the officers under command OF said Butler rave
been IN many instances active and zealous agents
in the commission Of these crimes,
Here the report breaks off