Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-02
The Exchange of Prisoners.

lie rebel Commissioner, Cpld. who ba
l osen endea7orinS TO defraud shs United State
IN the exchange Of prisoners, has prove,
! himself TO be an outright falsifer, as the fol
owing O7 ms own admissions to our Com
missioner OF Exchange, will show
OFFICE COMMISSIONERS OF EXCHANGE
FORTRESS MONROE, Va, NoT. II, 1868.
Ho''. Robert Oslia, agent Of Exchange, Rich
na0ald, Ia.
Sir: I acknowledge the receipt of your
communication of October 9lst | would
nave been surprised ct its contents had I not
been previously acquainted with your habit
OF special pleading, and of peryerting the
truth.
In the last interview but one which | had
with you, you stated to me, distinctly and un-
/ equlvocally, that you would make declarations
OF exchange whenever you conscientiously
felt that you had the right SO to do, for the
| purpose OF putting men into the field. You
made this statement not only once, but two
or three times. In my previous interviews
with you had taken the precaution to have
verbal propositions of any Importance made
by you reduced to writing; on this occasion
| retralned from my Usual course, now much to
my regret, as | will do you the justice 20 say
| that l have no doubt you have forgotten what
| occurred 1T that meeting.
| The following extracts, from two of your
| ietleIs, VIII pIooapI! serve TO convince you
that it is highly probable that, while laboring
under the excitement limited at above, YOU
may have made the statement attributed to
you. From your letter dated October 2, 1868,
L take the following:
| "Inow inform you, in view of the recent declar-
alton OF exchange made by you, coupled witt our
! failure either to agree or decline the proposition
made to you the Oath of August last in relation
to paroles, that the Confederate authorities will
consider themselves entirely at liberty to pursue
a % xIoicb =
| may deem right and proper"
Again, in your letter to me, of October
10th, you stated as follows;
"I reserve to myself the right to make further
declarations OF exchange from time to time, based
upon the paroles IN my office, until haye declared
| exchanged number of Confederate soldiers co ual
| to that OF Federal troops declared exchanged by
your last notice ~
In these two extracts you arrogate to your
Government and yourself the right TO declare
| exchanges. Of course a Government in as
prosperous condition the Confederacy,
with men in superabundancc to put into the
| field, would not declare men exchanged for
that purpose, nor would heightened, honor
| able gentleman, who has reserved to himself
the right to declare exchanges, use that right
with the idea of putting men in the field. Yet
It is well known that many officers and men
captured at Vicksburg were in the battle OF
| Chickamauga. | deem it proper here to say
|
which you state you have in your possession,
and which you claim as valid. You rest the
validity of these paroles (Which have never
seen, and which you acknowledge to have
been accommodating for many months) on Gen
eral Orders of the United States Government,
Nos. AZ and 100. These two orders announce
general rules based on the usages of war,
but cartel having been agreed upon, no or
der of either party could set aside its pro-
x-isi I..hi hlT-a taA
eral octasions). For instance a commander
on being captured might under some circum
stances, give a parole for himself and his
command without violating General Order \ o.
100 (which includes General Order No. 49,
but unless the paroling was done at City Point
or other named places, it would be in viola
ton of the cartel nor could exceptions be
taken to this course by the party granting the
| parole, because the validity of the parole de
ponds on a strict compliance with the pro
visions of the cartel.
Paragraph $50 of Order 100, which pre-
| scribes the duties that paroled soldier ma,
| perform, is also to some extent set aside by
the cartel which restricts these duties TO
much more limited field than the order
Paragraph l3l, which you attempt to make
so much of, is also rendered imperative by
the cartel, because 1t could only apply tC
paroles not given at the points designated for
delivery; but all such paroles by the car
tel made Invalid, and the paroling party
therefore has no preteXt for claiming their
recognition.
Had such claim been admitted, the effect
at Gettysburg would have been to give to
Gen. Lee the privilege of placing his prison
ers in our hands, to be delivered to him at
City Point, at our own charge, a claim SO
manifestly absurd that l am surprised that
even you should have had the assurance to
make it. Yet on precisely this ground rests
the foundation for the eighteen thousand pa
roles which you claim as valid. Paroles on
the field of battle, often given in haste by an
enemy unable to take care of or receive them,
are informal and invalid by the laws of war.
Most of the paroles above mentioned were
taken by guerrlllas, bushwhackers, and de-
tached commands in the West.
| No possession was ever had no delivery
was ever made, and no rolls have ever been
furnished of those giving them. On the cap
ture of town by cavalry raid, the COM
mand remained long enough to take the pa
roles of the unarmed citizens there, and then
decamped, leaving the paroled men behind,
| and forwarding the paroles to accumulate in
/. your Office in Richmond, yet you have the as
surance to say that you expect the United
States Government to exchange prisoners le-
ultimately captured in battle and now held in
custody, for such paroles as these.
1t is well for you TO write letters filed with
well feigned Indignation at any imputation
upon the integrity or honesty of your Gov
eminent or yourself, for publication in the
South, to delude the suffering people there
into the belief that you and your Govern
mcnt are doing everything to cause resump-
ton of exchanges, but | feel it my duty TO
say that your principles are so flexible and
your rule of action so slightly Influenced by a
sense of truth, honesty or honor, that | find
it almost impossible to arrive at any fair I'M
Outstanding with you on the subject, and all
my efforts thus far, for the above reason, have
been fruitless.
In your communication of October 9th,
you the following language:
81 state that General Orders Nos. 40 and 10C
were not sent to at the same. l received Gen
era Order No. 40 long before No. 100 delivered
to Their respective dates will show that to be
the fact. Ny personal recollection is that
General Order No. loo was never communicated il
| q letter.
You then proceed to impress the public
with the idea of your careful habits, as fol
| lows:
"Itis my habit faithfully to keep all letters writ
| ten by the Federal Agent of Exchange"
But this most important letter happened Il
be mislaid which intelligence you convey t.
the Southern public as follows:
GA careful search of the records of my ofic