The Portland daily press., 1863-12-07

chaplain, who had been his fcow-prieoner, was sop
araed from him and released from whom we learned
the facts In the case as just stated
Two officers of the federal army are shown
by the published proceeding OF civil court
in rebel Virginia, when taken as prisoners, to
have been sentenced to the penitentiary for
term of years on a charge OF negro stealing
The New York World seems to justify the
rebels in their refusal TO recognize as soldiers
those who had been slaves until liberated by
the federal troops, in saying that, "1f Fir-
" ginia slave pilots Gen. Meade, and is caught
"and hanged. no one would dispute Lees right
to do so but if he enlists first, then it is IN
SISTED that he is safe. We have never been
sable to see how the rebels could admit such
I" a position without at the same time admit
g ling themselves rebels and subjects Of the
United States"
1t will be observed, however, that the out
RACES detailed above were not confined to
such persons as the World alludes to, but
were inflicted upon free men enlisted In Mas
sachusetts and other free states, and their
them TO the same respectable same in kind If
not in degrce-that Gen. Meade's commission
should secure for him. But the World has the
candor to say that, Black men, subjects, as
inhabitants, Of loyal states, arc entitled 10
"be treated precisely as white people, and
"such treatment should be exacted, even If it
"be necessary that 10 prisoners should be
"made." 1t is not probable, however, that the
Government, now that it has invited the for
mer slaves of rebels to join the Union army
will abandon them TO the tender mercies of in
carnate fends simply because those fends are
not disposed TO recognize them as soldiers;
nor would the people hold 1t guiltlcss if it
should do so. We recognize no right OF the
rebels to say who shall be eligible to wear the
uniform of an American SOLDIER
Gen. Hitchcock considers the evidence am
pie that
in keeping with the spirit of Mr. Davis message TO
thcrsbel congress- or is carried beyond it, ana that
indication OF purpose TO relax in any respect what
ever in the execuon Of their declared policy in the
treatment eolored troops and their white officers
who may fall into their hands.
He furthermore says:
hold it to be certain that while they will keep
from the light as much possible their barbarous
practices. they will pursue them inexorably, unless
they be made TO feel that the national power Il
the strongest and show itself by the actual pos.
session OF body Of their troops held in the North
as prisoners Of war who by the laws of war liza.
BILE to be used for reialiatory purposes.
The United States government would be
most happy TO exchange prisoners of war,
man for man, taking all the Union prisoners
now held by the rebels, and returning to them
an equal number, man for man and rank for
rank, but this they peremptorily refuse. What
does the rebel Commissioner demand?
His proposition is that we shall deliver to him
all OF the prisoners In our possession, amounting
TO about forty thousand men, and receive in return
about thirtt thousand men, leaving about twenty
seven thousand men who might, for . few days, &c
considered on parole not to take arms unless duly
exchanged and then what would Mr.. 0uld do with
those meng Judging by what he has actually recent
ly DONE be would undoubtedly assume to discharge
those men from all obligations under their parole
and put them into the Geld to fight against national
troops, standing under unstained national flag
the very troops who calamity captured those men
upon bloody tatse fields within the past few months
To show the extreme probability of the
above supposed action Of the rebel Commits
sioner, Gen. Hitchcock gives facts, which we
sum up as follows MIR. Ould officially stated
to Gen. Meredith that he would proceed to
make declarations Of exchanges whenever he
conscientiously felt the right so to do, for the
purpose OF putting men into the feld;" thus
openly setting aside the cartel and the laws
and usages OF war in favor of his individual
sense of right; he has assumed the right to
make use OF tabular statement of alleged
captures In the west, amounting to over IS 600
men, men not soldiers but peaceful citizens
who were captured by guerrillas and CON-
PEELED TO take an oath not to take up arms
against the confederacy, and this class of
persons Mr.Ould claims we should accept in
Offset for rebel troops captured at yieksburg
and regularly paroled by US; he has declared
the Vicksburg paroled prisoners regularly ex-
changed without the slightest authority, and
without conference with or consent of our
Commissioner and thus restored them TO the
ranks of the rebel army, and this he has done
in violation of the cartel and the usages of
war. The following extract shows the high
hand with which Mr.. Ould has acted.
Mr.. oud is mere agent under the cartel, and
has powers beyond those recognized in the cartel
Gently assumed to decide an Important question by
which be undertook to berste froml the obligations
OF their parole the whole of the prisoners six
or seven thousand, captured by General Banks Al
Port hudson. and paroled BY General Banks under
q special agreement with the rebel commander The
world knows that those prisoners fell unco
into the hands OF General Banks the surrender
Port Hudson, and General Banks had The power 10
send them to the North lift had been his pleasure to
do sos but he made an agreement with the rebel
commander TO release them parole, and released
them at Mobile in conformity with the agreement
The cartel for the exchange Of prisoners provided
two places for their delivery, to wit City Point on
James River, and Nicksburg the Mississippi; but
II provided also that when either Of these places
should become unavailable by the exigepcies OF war
for the delivery of prisoners, other points might be
agreed upon" by the commanders in the field .
Thi. was precisely what happened vicksburs bsy.
ing fallen into the hands of Gen Grant, had BY
that exigency become unavailable for the delivery
of captured rebel soldiers. and, when subsequently,
General Banks came into possession of several thou
Port Hudson, lie made an agreement with the rebel
General Gardiuer, their commander, TO deliver his
prisoners on parole at Mobile, and did TO- Mr.
Ould, without any proper authority whatever, as
snmed TO write letter on the 10th OF October last
q copy OF which he has not furnished US, but which
has been published in . Richmond Newspaper in
which he attempts to release all of those prisoners
from obligations under their parole because, as he
undertakes TO decide, they were not delivered nj
places named in the cartel, when the cartel itself
provides for other places of delivery than those ex.
pressly named In the cartel when rendered
by the cxigencies of war.
This shows Mr.. Guilds conscientious sense
of right, and how he has exercised it to All
up the depleted ranks Of the rebel army. He
has put men under parole, into the field, to
fight, and declared other paroled soldiers to
be exchanged,&he not a single Union soldier
held as prisoner was received by such al
IaroI