Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-12-08
The Exchange Of Prisoners

As some Northern papers, who are more anx-
Justice done to tie rebels, have for some time
past been clam0ring against the Administration
Tor not coming TO some understanding with the
rebels, By whlehtour prisoners III he rebel dun
geons can be released, ae give below an extract
from a recent letter OF MAJOR General Hitch
cock showing what is the real reason Why the
exchange Of prisoners is stopped General
Hitchcock says:
1t has been supposed, even in many parts OF
cue North, that the proposition Of Mr. Oald, OF
the 20th Of October, for al exchange Of prls-
oners, Is lair, and ought to be accepted but it
does not appear 70 De considered that Mr. 0uld
has not lroE osed to led 70 rs a certain num-
Der Of prisoners Of war, and receive a like num-
Der in return, which would be q most happy
contamination tHat would be a, once accepted
By this Government But hls proposition il
that we snail deliver % hlm all OF the prisoners
IN our possession, amounting now to about 49,
900 men, and receive in return about $4,000
men, leaving about y 900 men, who might, for
few days, be considered on parole not 10 take
arms unless duly exchanged and then what
would Mr. Ould do with these men?
Judging by what he has actually recently
done, be would undoubtedly assume to discharge
those IN n from all obligations under parole,
and put them into the field to fight against the
national troops, standing under an unstained
national ilag-the very troops who CALAMITY
captured those men upon bloody battle fields,
withln the past lew months.
10 show the extreme probability Of this it is
only necessary to refer to a few facts beginning
with the statement Of Mr.. Oud to Gen Mere
dith, officially communicated TO me, that he,
Mr.. Ould, would proceed to make declarations
OF exchanges whenever he conseieutiousy felt
the right TO do 20, for the purpose Of putting
men into the field . thus openly setting aside
the cartel and the laws and usages Of wpr in
his individual sense Of right--which sense of
right IN Mr.. Ould, It 30 obtuse and wild as to
justify him in making use Of u 4" tabular state
meut " OF alleged captures principally in the
Western Staes amounting 10 over Is 100 mel,
a considerable portion oil whom were undoubt
eddy captured by guerrilla parties, and were not
soldiers, hut, lor the most part, peaceabe citl-
zens Of the country, probably known as friends
to the Uuion who Tor that reason We're seized
and compelled to take an oath not to take arms
against the southern Conlcdcracy and this
class of p'rsont Mr.. 0uld expects us to accept
in exchange for rebel troops, captured mostly
at Vlcksburg, who, having been paroled In the
South, were " declared exchanged by Mr..
0uld, without any conference Or understanding
with our agent, in violation Of tie provisions OF
the cartel, and in violation 81 the usages OF war
The letter also makes ihls statement,
+" General Meredith, or the purpose Of with
drawing our suffering prisoners from Richmond
distinctly proposed to MIR 0uld that he would
send him II 0UO or more Confederate prisoners,
as many as he might hold OF our men, and re-
oeve in return our PRISONERS held in The South
which proposition Mr.. 0uld refused to accept
but said that he would agree to general ex.
change, the effect OF which would undoubtedly
be tn cancel the escess OF prisoners In our hand,
by delivery oiasVut 40, 900 for abuut 10000
TO ave the rebel authorities the entire DISPOSE
ton OF such colored troops and their white Off
GERS as they might capture"
Ii should be stated also that an offer was
made to the rebel agent some days ago to receive
emn pledge that they should not be ALLOW ed
TO take arms unless duly exchanged with the
cons mt OF the rc el autno rites without refor
enoe TO existing difficulties ON the subject of ex
change and that this Government would pledg,
itself TO both feed and elothe all rebel prisoner,
10 our hands,
Ii will be readily seen from these statement,
Of General Hitchcock, which party is in fault in
the refusal to exchange prsoners.
The rebels, with flemish cruelty born of theil
hhuman and brutal institution OF Slavery, moi
I only refuse to exchange soldier for soldier, anC
officer for officer, but in order to compel oul
Government, through its sympathy with its suf
iefpg soldiers in rebel dungeons, to release all
rebe prisoners in its hands on parole, as un
qnestiouably r'sor,iug to the slow torture O
starvation, in their treatment of the unfoftunat,
Union Soldiers now hnguishing and dying il
T Confederate oungt ons Summers startling des
eripdon OF the barbarism OF slavery, had no col
Or 80 dark anu doyllsh, as this new disclosure
of the, horrible treatment u prisoners oil wal
by the Shareholders Bot the crime OF slave
holding leads lesilimately and rresistably to al
other crimes, and oonures to It's ald the liend
OF murder, hargiags, bnrnlngs and starvation
to do its terrible work OF destruction. And yet il
the face Of these checking disclosures of the
abandoned siekydn ~ Of Treason, and the stud
led cruelty OF slaseholdng civilization, Their
are northern men who can apologize for the one
and deolars That the other is founded on the ey
erastiug rock - tluno and infinite truth
justice and mercy
----. 80.
TAk SITUATION IN VIRGINIA. Without goin.
into an elaborate AID learned discussion Of arm,
movements in front OF Washington, We would