Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1864-11-04


The eye no ffes hncss there can trace,
Nj verdant spot on which to rest
Yet cen among those sands d ear.
The stork will tend her young with care,
Fen there the notes OF ov impart.
But Daught can cheer my lonely heart.
Robert Emmett Hone.
Correspondence Between Gents Lee and
Grant.
RELATIVE To THE TREATMENT OF NEGRO SCI
D1xs, AND THE RETALIroRY MEAS
IRE OF GEN. BUTLER.
U'D QR's ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
October 10, 1864. {
LlEur GEN. u. S. GRANT.
Commanding u S Armies:
GENERAL: In accordance with iustruc
tons from the Hon. Secretary Of War o
the Confederate States. have the honor to
call your attention to the subject of two
communications recently addressed by Ma.
jor General Is. T. Butler, an officer under
your command, to the Hon. Robert Ould
Commissioner for the Exchange of Prison
crH.
For the better understanding Of the mat.
ter, | enclose copies ofthe communications
You will perceive by one Of them tina,
the writer has placed a number Of officers
and men belonging to the Confederate ser
vice, prisoners OF war captured by the Uni.
ted States forces, at labor in the canal at
Dutch Gap. III retail ton, as is alleged, fol
like number Of Federal coored soldiers,
prisoners OF war in our hands, who are said
to have been put to work on our + rti6ca~
lions.
The evilel ce OF this fact is found in tie
af1idavi,s oftwo dcserters from our service
The other letter refers to copy Of a no.
tice issued y q Confederate .ticer com.
manding camp near Richmond calling
upon the owners to come forward and estab-
lish their claims to certain negroes in the
custody of that officer
The writer of the letter proceeds to state
that some of the negroes mentioned in the
notice are believed to be soldiers of the
United States army cupured in arms, and
that, upon that belief, lie has ordered to
such manual labor as ne deems most filing
to meet the exigency an cqui 7nlcut nnm Der
Of prisoners Of war held by the United
States, and announces that he will coutin.
Tie to order to labor captivcs in war to a
lumber equal to that of all The United
States soldiers Tho ne has reason to teliye
are held TO service or lal or by the Coufed,
ate forces, until be sh.ll bs notified thai
the alleged practice on til. part Of the Con
federate authorities has ceasel
Before stating the facts with reference te
the particular negroes alluded to, | beg te
explain the policy pursued by the Copfed.
crate Government towards this class Of per
SONS, when captured by its To- ces.
All negroes i'll the military or naval ser
vice of the United States, taken by US, who
are not identified S the property of citizen,
or residents ofany of the Confederate States
are regarded as prisoers Of war, being held
to be- proper subjects of cxch sng", as I re
Gently had the honor to lnform you
No labor is cxacted from such prisoners
by the Confederate authorities
Negroes who owe serve. or labor te
citizens Or residents of the Confederate
States, and who, through compn!s;vn, per
suasion, tr of their uwu accord, leave thei,
owners, auu arc placed in the military or
naval service of the United States, occupy
different position
The right to the service or labor of negro
slaves, III the Confederate States, is the
same now as when those S ates were mem
bers OF the Federal Jnion.
The constitutional relations and obliga
tions of the Confederate Government to the
owners OF this species of property, are tile
same as those SO frequently and so long rec
cgnized as appertainng to the Government
Of the United States, with reference to the
same class Of persons, by virtue of its or
ganic law.
From the earliest period Of the indepen-
dencc of the American States, it has been
held that one Of the duties incumbent upon
the several common governments under
which they have from time to time, been
associated, was the return to their lawful
owners of slaves aeco2turcd from the pub
lie enemy 1t has been uniformly held
that the capture or abduction of slave docs
not impair the right of the owner to such
slave, but that the right attaches to Lin
Immediately upon recapture.
Such was the practice Of the American
States du ing their struggle for inlepen-
dence. The Government under which they
were then associated resumed to the or ners
slaves abducted by the British forces aud
subsequently recaptured by the American
armies.
In the war Of 1912 with Great Britain.
the course pursued by the United States
Government was the same, and it recognized
the right of the owner to slaves seoaptured
from the enemy. Both the Continental
and United States Governments, in fact,
denied that the abduction o: slaves was a
belligcrcnt right, and the latter power in
sisted upon. and ultimately secured by
treaty. pecuniary indemnity from the Brit
ish Cover nment for slaves taken by its for
ces during the war Of 1872
And it is supposed that negro belong
ing to citizen of State in which slavery
is recognized and which is regarded as one