Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-23
The Exchange of PrisOners-Wh ny it
has been >tOpped-tuii Explanation
of the Uattcr-The Niger at the
Bolton of IL.
lspeceal Correspondence to the Chicago Times.
WASHINGTON, November lS.

lspeceal Correspondence to the Chicago Tines
WASHINGTON, November lS.
have taken some pains to ascertain the real
facts existing in regard To the trouble about
the exchange Of prisoners; and, as the matter is
one of great public concern, herewith send you
the results of my Investigations. At present the
number OF prisoners each side is about equal
namely about ID 900 eicb. of Union and Con-
federate soldiers From all that | can learn,
it woulo appear that the Coniederates hold two
or three thousand more OF our soldiers than We
DO of theirs. They not all at Richmond.
The accommodations there are intirely INSULT
cient and provisions are to- scarce. A few
weeks since. arrangements were made to re
move some 5000 of them To the interior of
Georgia, and this removal, | am informed. has
been made Ii il also believed that betw cen
1000 and 3 900 have been taken to Charleston in
order to deter Gen. Gilmore from burning the
city with Greek fire. ] satisie that many
Of the stories of inhumanity 10 our prisoners are
either gross fabrcatiOns, or else williul exagger
atoms and that. general thing. our PRISON.
ers al the south are as well treated as prisoners OF
war generally. with the exception, perhaps of
the articles of food and medicine and IN that
respect. well as the rebel soldiers themselves,
the South Is not, just now, 4 llnd flowing with
milk and honey. Shocking instances of ind
vidual cruelty there have been and the chief au
thor Of these crueltes. dis graceful 10 humanity,
is, or was, Mrs LincOiuS own brother. But
the other hand. ! know of instances of equal
atrocitv perpe.ratel on Confederate prisoners by
General Shoepf or his understrappers, aud on
Confederate prisoners in other northern prisons.
The exchange of prisoners progressing reg
ularly, under the terms OF the cartel agreed upon
by MAJ Ludlow and Col. Ould, under the sane
ton OF both governments, when ii WAS suddenly
stopped by Mr.. Stanton, by the order, as he says.
of the President: and on this occasion believe
he tells the truth Why was this order pfomul
gated? 1t was not prOmu gated until Mr Lin
coin had ascertained definitely that he Conieder-
ate government did not recognize our nsgers in
uniform Tor. rather. their niggers, stolen from
them,) rs soldiers; would not treat them, or their
officers on a perfect equait, with our white Off
GERS and soldiers; and would not exchange them
or their officers If captured These alarming
facts were first discovered by the notorious HS-
ginsnn and Montgomery. and sent ty them 10
Senators Summer and Wilson. and COM
muuicatei by the latter, in turn, to Mr.
Lincoln The President unwilling
To believe them: but satisfied himself,
finally, that they were really true The abOli-
tionist- and radicals who control him. and who
are really the supreme power in the State. had.
in the meantime. persuaded him to assure to the
negroes who would enlist the same protection
from the Federal government which the latter
extended 10 then soldiers. In other words. they
persuaded the Administration to authorize them
TO make the official declaration. and IL has been
made and officially romulgated. that negro SOL
diers ami their officers are on footing Of perfect
equality in all things with white men ana their
Officers and shall receive the same protection
from the government. They also persuaded the
President y communicate to tie Confederate
government the assurance that the United States
government recognized no distinction between
white ard black soldiers, and insisted upon
our black soldiers. ~ no might be taken
prisoners beng regularly exchanged on the
same footing a. white soldiers. ! have been
unable to ascertain whether any formal reply
was ever made By The Confederate government
10 this extraordinary communication. But it i
certain that The government received assu-
RANGES. positive and indefinite enough. 10 the
effect that the Confelerates did not and would
not recognize negroes as soldiers The Coniei
crate gent OF Exchange, however. continued to
semi home our prisoners before, until, as !
have stated. our Agent of Exchange II Fortress
Monroe received directions from the Secretary
of War, by order 81! the President" not to
permit any more Confederate prisoners To be
sent home and To suspend the operation of
the cartel ii exchange. This. OF course STOPPED
the exchange OF the part of the Coniederates
The last lot OF Union prisoners who were
sent no L0S lfOiD 1NiChUltlG were Il TO- VI -ith
and wounded men. Who we're humanely offered
the a.einafivs of remaining there or OF
going home They crosse the latter. hoping
least 10 die at bona but were candidiy inform
"a bv the surgeons that the chances were that
they would never reach home alive. They came
and were lsnGe,l ~ Annapolis A few viii re-
cover Some did live 10 reach their homes. and
died or will die there. surrounded bv their friends.
Some died at ANNAPOLIS and some persisted
On route These facts have been much distorted
by The abolition preSs The facts as they really
exist are bad enough. But il these poor men
had been left at Richmond. they would have all
died there auiong strangers and without - N
patty Not one Of them del merely IA conse
Quence of having had insufficient food. The blame
lieS upon the Administration and the Republican
paFty-fr.t for causing the war ~ all ; second,
for Investing il with is present features OF
ferocity third. for preventing medicines being
sent 20 The South aud fourth. for conducting
the Mar ia such manner 10 prolOng IL.