Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-30
WHOLE NO. 1,272
The Exchange OF Prisoaers-Why IL
has been nStopped-Full Explanation
of the rratter-rhe Nigger at the
Bottom of IL.

mas Deen nStOpped-fuitE ENptuuuttOu
OF the rsatter-rhe Nigger at the
Bottom of IL.
Spsceal Correspondence TO the Chicago Times.
wAsHiSeroS. November Ie-
hsve taken some pains to ascertain the real
facts nov existing IN regard TO the trouble shout
the exchange of prisoners; and as the matter IS
one Of great public concern, herewith send you
the results of nv Investigations At present the
number of prisoners each side is about equal
namely about Is 600 e1ch, of Union and Con-
federate soldiers. From all that ] can learn.
il woul0 appear that the COnfederates hold two
three thousand more Of soldiers than
do OF theirs. They are not all at Richmond.
The accommodations there are iutirely insult
cicnt and provisions few
weeks since. arrangements we're made to re
move some 5000 of them TO the interior of
Georgia, and this removal. am informed. has
been made Ii l. also believed that between
1000 and 3 900 have been taken to Charleston In
order to deter Gen. Gilmore from burning the
city with Greek FIRE. ! am satisied that many
OF the stories of inhumanity TO our prisoners are
either gross fabricatons. else willful exagger-
ations I; and that, a general thing, our prison.
at the south as well treated as prisoners of
generally, with the exception, perhaps Of
the articles of food and medicine; and, IN that
respect. as well as the rebel soldiers themselves,
the South is not, just now, land flowing with
milk and honey. Shocking instances of in%i-
vidual cruelty there have been and the chief au-
thor OF these crueties disgraeeful to humanity,
is, or was, Mrs. Lincoln's own brother. But, on
the other hand, / know of instances Of equal
atrocity perpstrated on Confederate prisoners by
General Shoepf or his understrappers, and on
Confederate prisoners in other northern prisons.
The exchange of prisoners was progressing reg
ularly under the terms of the cartel agreed upon
by Maj. Ludlow and Col. Ould, under the sane
.fI -, "a L..
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 prOmul-
gated7 Ii was not promulgated until Mr.. Lin
coin had ascertained definitely that the Confeder-
ate government did not recognize our nggers in
uniform (or. rather, their niggers, stolen from
them,) soldiers; would not treat them, or their
officers, on perfect equality 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 Hig-
ginson and Montgomery, and sent by them to
Senators Sumner and Wilson, and COM
municsted by the latter, in turn, TO Mr..
Lincoln. The President was unwilling
to believe them: but satisfied himself.
finally, that they were really true. The abol-
tionists 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 to their oldiers. In other words. they
persuaded the Administration to authorize them
TO make the official declaration, and il has been
made and officially promulgated, that negro SOL
diers ana their officers are on footing OF perfect
equality in all things with white men and their
officers, and shall receive the same protection
from the government. They also persuaded the
President to communicate 70 the Confederate
government the assurance that the United States
government recognized no distinction between
white and black soldiers, and insisted upon
our black soldiers, (who might be taken
prisoners) being regularly exchanged on the
same footing as white soldiers. / have been
unable to ascertain whether any formal reply
was ever made by the Confederate government
to this extraordinary communication. But il is
certain that "the government" received assu-
RANGES, positive and indefinite enough, to the
effect that the Confederates did not, and would
not recognize negroes as soldiers. The Confed-
crate Agent of Exchanges, however, continued 10
send home prisoners before, until. as
have stated our Agent of Exchange at Fortress
Monroe received directions from the Secretary
of War 'by order of the President" not TO
permit any more Confederate prisoners to be
sent home, and to suspend the operation of
the cartel of exchange. This, of course stopped
the exchange on the part of the Confederates
The last lot of Union prisoners who
sent home from Richmond were lot of sick
and wounded men, who we're humanely offered
the alternative of remaining there or Of
going home. They chose the latter. hoping at
least to die at homa but were candidly inform
ed by the surgeons that the chances were that
they would never reach home alive. They came
and were landed at Annapolis. A few will re-
cover Some did live 10 reach their homes, and
died will die there, surrounded by their friends.
Some died at Annapolis aud some perished
en- route. These facts have been much distorted
by the abolition press. The facts as they really
exist are bad enough. But, if these poor men
had been left at Richmond, they would have all
died there. among strangers and without sym
pathy. Not one of them died merely in conse-
quence of having had insufficient food. The blame
lies upon the Administration and the Republican
party-first for causing the at all +; second.
for investing IL with its present features OF
ferocity third, for preventing medicines beng
seat to the South and fourth, for conducting
the war in such manner as to prolong il
In the meantime. fifteen thousand OF our brave
men. who left comfortable homes and happy
families in order TO fight, they supposed, for
the Union. are now langushing in southern pris
ons, and there they will continue to languish.
whyg Simply because the Administration is
determined TO adhere TO its pet measure of making
negro AS good as white man In order 10
indulge the vhims of Greeley aid Sumner this
point, those brave men will be left 10 languish
and die By inches; fretting their lives away day
by day In hopeless agony at the thought that the
sight of home, and kindred. and their best loved
ones will never again be theirs
But what does il all matter? What right have
they to complaint What difference does il make
that the hearts of the members of fifteen thousand
families are wrung with anguish because their
fathers, and husbands, and sons. and brothers
thus left to perishf This is a war for the negro.
With that grand object in view, all such matters
should be regarded unconsi6ered trifes. Such
is the decision of the Government" aud il is
treason to think otherwise. y.