Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-02-24
A REMoNsrRANCE.

without reserve or conjunction, the adVan-
tspe they possess in shutting US out, almost
entirely, from the outside world. They have
had the ear CT mankind, and have poured into
st what tale they please. Thoy have had the
telling of our story, as well as their own;
and unhappily that "militsry necessity
which excuses ever ything il these days has
imperatively required them to rouse the III
dignation OF the universe against us oy
continuous system OF flsehoods. Ems
touches LIB, We confess, in tender point. l
We Confederates have reason to be proud OF
anything more than ofanotb er,it is the honor
able conduct of the War upon our sioe' "e
know the facts ourselves, and feel that one
d.v thew will be known and acknowledged
by all tho world. Yet, in the meantime,
certsin painful impatience is experienced, on
seeing tho acts of our Government distorted,
and the naucs of our highest and best biloxi
ered by that foul mud which "mili,sry ne
sessity," it appeare, obliges the Yankees to
fling with both hands.
The blockade in other respects has been
grievous enough. But not even tho deartb
of coffee and wooden drapery-not even the
famine of books ard reviews, gives us the
same feeling of resentment, As the persistency
With which our enemies have carried en-, IN
undistur bed quiet, this frsudult mt manufsc
ture Of public opinion for the world Not
that 1t has been altogether successful, oven
.k,o.d ,pbara voDkaoo ora now 1T last IN
dcretood, and We also, in some measure
Neither is it that the opinion Of the outside
world is altogether essential to us-nny moro
than their webs or their books. All that
will come right; and the esteem which may
be denied US now, owing to the falsehoods OF
our enemies, will one day be rendered to US
four-fold if we merit il by eventual sue
cess.
Notwithstanding il is well to record pro-
test against sny special case of misrepresen-
'tation, and to formally demonstrate. Not,
indeed, to convert our enemies, or inspire
them with generosity, or touch their hearts
[there is but one way of doing that) but to
inform Our own citizens, to satisfy them that
the outrsges upon the honor of our govern
meut and people are not suffered to 60 by
default; and, lastly, to furnish authentic
data to history, if, peradventuse, history
should think of deigning one day to take no.
tice Of our afairs
The special Gaze in which the magnani-
nous Yankee nation is now believing forth
the fslsehood, while the truth is prudently
.blockadsd, mutfled and garroted is the mat
ter Of the exchanges of prisoners of war
under tho cartel, and tho determination an
nouncsd by our President in his message to
retainer deliver over to the several State
authorities Federal commissioned Off
GERS a. may be for the future made prisoners
in arms within those States and parts Of
States embraced in Mr.. Mncoln's Emancipa-
ton Proclamation. On these points it will
be we'll to put on record few facts. Our
words, though frozen up by blockade at
present, will be audible when the thaw comes.
On July 22d, 1862, we having then many
moro Yankee prisoners than the enemy had Of
Confederate, aud this fact having disposed
them, for the first time, to treat US as belig-
erents-s cartel for exchange of prisoners
was agreed on by Genorsi Dix, Federal, and
General D. II. Hill, Confederate. The fourth
article of the cartel has these words: @An
prisoners Of war to be discharged on parole
IN ten days after their capture, and the pri-
soners now held, and those hereafter tsken,
to BIO transported to the points mutually
agreed upon at tho expense of the capturing
party
By another article citizens were only to
be exchanged for citizens, as soldiers for SOL
diers, rank for rank. By still another, "Local,
State and militia rank, held by persons not
in actual military service, were not. to be
recognized, the basis of exchange being the
grade actually mold in the naval and military
service of the respective parties.'
Under The carte, Commissioner of Exchange
were appointed by the two parties; and parole
and exchange Of prisoners regularly proceed
ed. On our part the conditions of the cartel
were strictly complied with. Itsoon became
known, however, through many channels, to
our commissioner that large numbers of Con-
federate prisoners in the hands of the enemy
who were entitled to be paroled, and many
of them already paid for with Federal pri-
sonsrs, were still kept in military prisons
That there has been gross and constant
violation of the cartel by the enemy, is .
matter which will need to be not only sssert-
ed but proved, and the proofs are at hand.
On the 4th October, 1862, Mr.. Commits
sioner Ould, of Richmond, represented q num-
Der Of these cases, by letter, to COL Ludlow,
the Federal Commissioner, and urged fulfil
ment Of the contract. 10 received no reply,
and no satisfaction was given.
Again, on the 29th November, Mr. Ould call
ID the attention of the Federal Commissioner
to tho facts md grievances stated in his for
mer communication, and added other in
stances, especially the cases of number of
officers and men (specifying names, ranks and
regimsnts) of the Louisiana troops-mon &C.
tually raroled, but aftsrwsrd seized by But
Ter and confined In prison-and still more
especially the case of M.nford, a citizen ex-
ecuted for "treason" in New Orleans, Al
though by the terms of the cartel citizens
hello BY either party "for disloyAlty or other
civil offences" were to be exchanged for
other citizens To these repeated applics-
tons for specific fulalment of the cartel NO
answer was returned, and it became known
tn our authorities that 1un3,.5 81 49,, a.
dsdsrsts soldiers and officers were languish
ing in dunseons..su over the ene.ry's country
many NJ fham in irnns