Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-12-28
Jeff. Davis,s Charges Against GEN
Buglefs

Jeff. Davis's Charges Against Gen.
Butler.
New YoRK, Dec. 27.-The following are
Davis's allegations against Gen. Butler:
Peaceful and aged citizens, unresisting cap
tves and non-combatants, have been confined
at hard labor With chains attached to their
limbs, and are still 90 held in dungeons and
fortEesses. Others have been submitted to q
like degrading punishment for selling medi-
cine to sick soldiers of the Confederacy,
and soldiers of the United States have
been invited and encouraged In gen
eral orders to insult and outrage the
wives, mothers and sisters of our citizens.
Helpless women have been torn from their
homes and subjected to solitary confinement---
some in fOrtresses and prisons, and one especi-
ally ON an leland of barren sand, under tropi-
cal sun; have been fed with loashsome rationa
that had been condemned as unfit for soldiers,
and have been exposed TO tho vilest insults.
Prisoners Of war who surrendered to the
naval forces of the United States, on agreement
that they should be released on parole, have been
seized and kept In close confinement Repeated
pYetexts have been sought or invented for
plunderipg the inhabitants Of the captured city.
by fines levied and collected under threat Of
mprisonlng reousants 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 their conscience,
to bear allegiance to the invaders of their
country. Egress from the city haa been
refused to those whose iortitude Withstood the
test, even to lone and aged women, and to help.
less children, and after being elected from
their homes and robbed Of their property, they
have been left to starve In the streets or sub
,ta oha rtkv Qlauan haua hoar e..
plantations In the neighborhood of New Or.
leans, until their owners would consent to share
their crops with the commanding general,
his brother Andrew ]. Butler, and other
officers; and when such consent had been
extorted, the slaves have been restored
to their plantations, and there compelled
to work under the bsyonets Of guard of
United States soldiers. Where that partner.
ship was refused, armed expeditions have been
sent to the plantations to rob them of every
thing that was susceptible of removal, and
even slaves too aged or inhrm for work have,
in spite of their entrsates, been forced from
homes provided by their owners and driven to
wander helpless on the highways.
By q recent order, No. 81, the entire property
In that part of Louisiana west of the Missis.
sippi river has hesn sequestered for conAsca.
tion, and officers have been assigned to duty
with orders to gather up and collect together
personal property and turn over to the proper
officers upon their receipts, such of said prop
erty az may be required for the use of the Uni.
ted States army; to collect together all per-
sonal property, and bring the came to New
Orleans and cause it to be sold at
public auction 10 the hghelt bidder
an order which, il executed, condemns
to punishment by starvation at least a quarter
Of million of all ages, sexes, and conditions,
and of which the execution, although forbid.
den to military officers by the orders of 'Presi
dent Lincoln, II In accordance with the CON
hscation law Of our enemies, which he has en-
forced through the agency Of cruel oficisls
Aud finally, the African slaves have not only
been melted to insurreotion by the enemy
license and encouragement, but numbers o
them have actually been armed for q servll'
war-a war In Its nature far exceeding tn
horrors and most merciless atrocities o
savsges; and whereas the officers under com
mand Of said Butler have been in many in
stances active and jealous agents In the com
mission of these crimes.