The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-30

led men now empioyeQt as wagoner1. nurses
cooks, and other employees as are doing SER
tvicesfor which tho negroes may be found COM
petent. sIlfEaKEF0T Y
/ "a ExcHANdE OF PRIeoNERs. -
/ Iregrst to inform you that the enemy have
kretdrned to the barbarous policy with swhich
fthey inaugurated the war, and that the ex-
change of prisoners has been for some time.
ssusr ended The corresppudencs of the Com
bmissienergof Exchange is Submitted to you by
4 the Secretary Of War, and il shssla already been
published for the information Of al now .suf.
/ fering useless imprisonme1t Tho conductsof
the authorities Of the United States hass BEEN
Iconsistently pc1fdious on this subjece An
I Iagreement for e1changa ID the incipiency Of
the war, had Just been concluded, when the fall
of Fort Donelson reversed the previous state'
] of things and gave them an excess Of pris-
onersss The Agreements was Immediately repu-
dated by them, and so remained till the for
tunelof war again placed rs in possession of
the larger number. A new cartel was then.
made, and under it, for many months, We res
tored tp them many thousands 6fprisoners in
exoess Of those whom they held for exchange,
and encampments of the surplus parolsd pria-
loners dsiiYera9 up by US were established in
the United States, where the mon were cna-
bled to receive the comforts and solace of com
stant communications with their homes and
! families. II July last the fortune of war again
| favored the enemy, and they were enabled to.
4 exchange for duty the men previously deliv-
cred to them, against those captured and spa-
rolled at Vicksburg and Port Hudson. The
prisoners taken at Gettysburg, however, re-.
/ manned in. their hands, and should have been
returned to our lines On parole. to await ex
i change. Instead ofexecutipe duty imposed
by the plainest dictates Of. Justice and good
i faith. pretaxts were instantly sought for hol-
i ding Them ;;n. -Tnermanet captiyity. General
orders rapidly succeeded each other from the
/ bureausat Washington, placing new construc-
lions on an agreement Which had given rise to
i no dispute while we retained the advantage
! in the number of prisoners With q disre-
/ gard of honorable obligations almost unexam-
j pled, the enemy did not hesitat, j. in addition
to retaining the prisoners captureds by them,
/ to declare nullsthe paroles given by the prs-
oners captured by us,in the same series of en-
gagements, and liberated on, condition of. not.
/ again serving until exchanged. They, have
since openly insisted on treating the, paroles
given by their own soldiers as invalid, and
those of our soldiers, given under precisely
sion of similar unjust professions has been
set mp in correspondence tediously prolonged,
/ and every device employed to cover the disre-
/ gard of an obligation which, between bellige-
! rent nations, is only to be enforced by . sense
Of honor, -
No Further osiHnent Is needed on this sub
ject; but may be permitted to direct your
special attention. to the close of the cores
pondence submitted 10 you, from which you
will perceive that the hnai proposal made by
the enemy, IN settlement of all disputes under
the cartel, Is, that we should hberate allpri7
soners held by us, without the offer to release
| from captivity anytof those held by them.
i In the meantime, a systematic end concert
ed effort has been made to quiet the complaints
| in the United States of those relativ IS and
friends of the prisoners in our hands who are
unable to understand why the. cartel is not
| executed in their favor. by she groundless as
| sertion that vo are sbe nart;es who refnsa
Ecomnlianca Attamnts'are a1so made to shield
tbemselves from az c;fed by their
own 'os3;o,,s ireatmeft of onr of5;cers and SOL
d;ers now :, nt;vs T. tbe;r hsads hr ,a;sst.te-
mente s,,cb as tbatS.ba ,,-;sorars old h. ne
are denr;ysd of Good Ta acc,,sston
sbs ~ hsa, 80 -
III h1o as Dse H. -
~ nf .Ia "a. dsa.s -. .am .S ens ~
-. ,rsa;sa,,. a. :, ,.,.;.n
and on.ttL ss Il Is: :arva5o,t -. L. o,.,,
a.il.nt soil;ars :, a.. fa,5 ~ LII h.,a
b., c,,,,s5 s,,a;a;... :. - .Ea;
ar5,,,,,. ~ r.
hy tIs sT,5 H. ~ r r..
s'eas - -
bans In,,-sosdan.sa ha,,p asJ1 aI,ap"ad p.
the prisoners in our hands to b supplied by
their friends at hofneswith comforts notsen-
joyed bv the men who. cdptrfed them in bat
ttle. In contrast to this treatnent the most
revolving inhumanity has characterized the
con dncITof the United States towards prison
ers held by them One promfnsnI fact, which
admits no denial or palIiation, must suffice as
Fa test. The officers of our army, natives Of
southern and semi-tropical climates, and un-
prepared for the cold of northern winters,
have been'conveyed, for imprisonment, during
the rigors of the present season, to the most
northern and exposed situation that could be
selected By the ane.ayy.zE There, beyond the
reueff or comforts, ana often even OF news from