Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-09-22
THE EXCHANGE CT PRISONERS.

Beast Butler has again renini2d the world that the
nfamy of outlawry still alta ches to him, and be has
writ en- as "Commssioner of Exchange" long review
of the negro question, upon Which, at future day, We
shall comment more at length Oar present object is
to call attention to the fact that less than hundred
lazy lousy negroes permitted by the employers OF
this able "CapH Lupinum" to condemn to horrid
confinement one hundre! thousand white men. There
are Federal prisoners to the number Of fifty thousand
now literally languishing between lie aud death in the
prisons of the Confederate States. Nostalgia, il its
most repusve feature of nsan ity, makes Bedlan of
of unacs of these prison pens whose Wretched inmates
lie down at night exhausted with their meaningless words
about home and exchange to rise again in the morning
and renew the unntelble jabbering. Death car
red of at Andersonville Alone in the months OF July
and August, eight thousand aud eight of these poor
creatures. Human misery has reached its acme
when insanity suparvenes, and the loatbsome disease
which follows nostalgia known t. physicians to pro-
duce arrangement
That one hundred lazy eowmdly louzy, runaway ne
groes should be made the for ali the wretcheo
mes. that those unfortunate Soldiers Of the Union
suffering, presents feature in the cruelty Of fanat
| icsm almost without parallel.
Dscarding the recollection Of the fact that these suf
| fering came amorg robbers ravishers aud
murderers common humanity demands that Extra eff
forts be de to mitigate if possible the wretched
they suffering by the act OF their government.
La this matter glad to know that steps are be-
! ing taken to divide them into small encampments,
| where more be taken OF them and greater
attention given to their wants. These wreched men,
finding themselves hopeessly abandoned by their own
government, may be won over to our cause by the
ercise OF little kindness and attention. We kaot0 Of
Yankees who have joined armies and made most
excellent soldiers Among these prisoners meChan
les of every trade and calling. From these men hun
dreds of shoe makers have been selected aud
making shoes for our armies The untirng energy Of
Moor Maynard soon discovered that Yankee prisoners
in shops were much more useful than in prisons. Es
tabshng large shop, be took from the prisons shoe
makers and organized mandatory. He has had but
two of bis prisoners to leave the shop, and they went
not to Grant but to the United States A small guard
ia all that is required and these Yankees permit de-
tailed men to be sent to the army. Major Maynard,
by kindness, has actually attached these Yankees to
him and they satisfied Their pay is accommodating
for them at home they comfortably cared Tor here
ard they not anxious to be exchanged. MAJOR May
nards experiment should be tried in ali our shops and
manu- acories. These Yankees if treated Kindly will
sooG be satisfied and contented to remaia in Sale
rather than by escaping to the enemy to be sent back
to their army for this fall and winter For every Yam
kee employed a deailed man Can be sent to the
trenches and thus the practical Ell cts of an exchange
realized.
The prisons in the Confederate States contain hous-
ands OF skilled mechanics the very needed 10 the
shops and manufactures OF the Coufederacy. They
are in wretched misery when they are confined they
feel themselves to have been abandoned By their own
government because elr term ct serutce has eTP1red
they know Buffers excuse about an exchange OF
slaves to be but excuse and that the real reason
that they are left to angush and die in prison is be-
Cause exchange OF them would bring to the Confed-
army soldiers, while the aukee army would get
by the exchange and they feel most acuey their
suerings when they are thus degraded by the thous
ands tor less than one hundred negroes who have
fallen into their lawful masters hands Buffers last
letter will be placed in their hands and translated
into German, spread among them to show them how
the Lincoln authorities for the Union defeadess
Its sophisry will melt away before their intense suffer
ngs and they will mock the reasoning that thus hops
llessy consgns them to endless Imprisonment. The
louawry of the Confederate authorities is nothing to
the deep dannation that is daily invoked upon the
Beast by these wretched victims.
General Order No 65, is bringing an average Of one
Fhuudred Yankees weekly into our lines, and they
being sent to the United States Those OF them thai
prefer remain mechanics or laborers are provided
with empoyment-the prisoners the same class O
men, with far greater for behaving themselves
and attending to their employment than The deserter
The latter if caught in the United States is subject
the death penalty, while the former is secure ou
shops; his authorities never discover that be ha
given said and comfort to cause by working for us
and his pay continues during his captivity hesc potiv
render guards unnecessary bis seltnerest guards a.
gans escape, and bis comfort makes him conented
The Lincoln authorities have declined exchange
Commissioner Oud will not notice Beast Buffers las
letter that all hope OF exchange s gone We canno
lget back our soldiers for Yankees whose term OF service