The New York herald., 1863-10-21

Enlisted men Observation-Disclosures. 19,0S3
Aggregate ...................... .l9, l59
Reduced to enlisted men,. 19,409
Which gives balance In Of. .......1 002i
nov claim this balance which is due US, and demand
that you thcir paroles al officers and for
lease equal number from the prisons in Richmond
Your dec caration was wholly unwarraned under the
cartel aud might with great proprety be set aside.
In it facd 10 announce to me the sixth section, as
published IN the Richmond Enquirer of the 10th instant,
fourteen enlisted men, You did not. according TO the
terms of the cartel, inrnsh me with any
by which could declare equivalents, did
you give mo any time to prepare my announcement
slider your IN this matter deliberate breach Of
good faith the part Of the authorities under whom
l42 1892 would authorized you discharge pris.
OF the federal forces, furnishing "list OF them,
and then you could have discharged an equal number Of
your own officers and men "frOm paro,e." The cartel
only coptemplates q "mutual" exchange OF 'sts'
(artice 81 but expressly declares atice that no cx
change e. be considered complete until tho officer
soldier exchanged fr has been actually restored to the
lines to which he belongs.
As to the paroles given at Gettysburg and elsewhere,
you mado agreement with my predecessor. Leutenant
Colonel Ludlow To take effect from May y, 1862 thM all
be considered null and void. How, then, you claim
as valid tho Gettysburg parolesy
II you have any rolls lists Of any whom you
bavo raroicd that have no! given you credit for or
there should be any errors In my account VIII be happy
TO rectify the same
leved certain officers captured at vicksburg In which
declaration be refused unite There but two
officers, believe Generals stevenson and Bowen),
who arc covered by your declaration OF the 18th INST
II the other officers named have been returned TO
thcir parocs as requested by Lieutenant Colonel Lud
low you Indebted 10 US for their equivalents. The
chief nd OF the objection TO that declaration k that
at that me there we're 10 equivalents OF the same grade
In our possession (the only condition which would have
warranted your making the dcciaraton), and II
senicd to 1t would be obliged offset them by officers
or inferior rank
In making up the number of federal troops to be ex.
changed have included all those mustered out OF the
service all discharged deserted and deceased Respect
fully, your cbediert servant, s. a MEREDITH,
Brgud sr General and Commissioner Tor Exchange.
COMMISSIONER ouLD 70 COMMISSIONER MEREDITH.
RICHMOND, Oct. 2, 1868.
Brig Gen. 8. A. MKREpirH, Agent OF Exchange
SiR-Yonr communication OF tho oath ut., declaring
that all officers aud Of the United Army cap.
turcd and aioei at any prev tho ls OF Sep.
tember, 1866 duly exchar ged, has been received
You are aware that hen mex you the oath Of Au.
gust at City Point made to you the following promo
sal 10 witt propose that all paroles both sides,
heretofore gvcu shall be determined by the general
des issued by the War department OF the United States
60 wSO 40. No 100 and No. 20T OF this year, accord
ing To thcr respective dates, and In ormiiy with
paragraph 1871, ot General Order No. 100, so long
acceptable that tho practice heretofore adopted
respecting paroles and exchanges be continued In other
words, propose that the whole question Of paroles be
determined ny tho general orders United States ac
cording tn dates, or that be decided by former prac
tcc" You have neither accepted declined either
branch Of that proposal although have both personal
Interview and by letter, solicited you do or the
other On the same day you submitted TO your pro
positin which. unlike mine, was prepared beforehand
and which Is ollowsI propose, behalf OF tho gov
crnmeu o. tho United st.tes that all paroles given by
officers an be' tio 23d day of May 1865 aud
the Ri cly c. July, 1873, In Conformity with the
stifrla Tho cartei shah be rcgarde as null and
voda decruin To tils olcct 10 BE- Published 10 both
arriies shiI ~ lp,sniOu Immediately declined. I
then and there my In the rst place,
informed you tnat the Confederate authorities never
at tne and did not then that paroles, mot
conformity with the stipulations of the cartel ?.
should be regarded valid. iurther told you that
M md
ccrtnin dates, which "not In conformity with the
spn,aticns OF the cartel" was an implication that
paroles abe 70 the same objection before the FIRST named
date and after tho last should be regarded valid and
was, therefore necessarily vicious on rs very face.
position the which caused you 10 make H. 10
w-Thst the paroles which had been givou TO us were
between ,, the dates @ e,Hsad % N your p,oposton who
! made the oh cction TO your proposal that II In.
timated iha. psro'es mot IN conformity with the
and After the 81 OF July Of this year were TO be re-
eardcd az valid, aaked you TO state, In writing
90 DO, saying, somewhat brusqucy that you did no,
wish " have any discussion about the matter Upon my
s the foot Of The proposition saying that the proposa
was In reply to my letter OF August o, 1893, and IN e
OF the proposition therein made by me. You would Dot
eoni.nsd nor have You donc 20 since s letter q III
s,h q August o.ly demanded, 10 compliance With you
roles tue parties should be deIivcrcd % US
You 'niormed me that you would transmit my PROPOSE
or bv letter
ON The TN OF September complained that no repIv
naa pccn returned ahoosh two weeks had elapsed and
Two boats had bccn despatched 10 CITY Point s,nce tbc
ditc OF our interview Az the same time IN med ,a
that the Confederate authorities would consse, hc,
selves entrsy M liberty 10 pursue any course with ress
renee 70 my rropos,icn which they might scc, ,rs,
ard pvorer der all the circumstances II the case
Accordingly, on the llth ~ scr,embcr, IN pursuance
OF inn plain in,imsson noned Vcu that. on sSs
following day tbat being the time whcn IN.
povce would reach ycu) I you'd declare ex
cbsnged rcr cn n the vicksbs csptnrcs g,v,
iou the divisions, brissdcs, reymss' aua batteries.