The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-09-20

making that proposition. sherman accepted the
proposition in letter, Of which the following is am
| extract:
We have here twenty-eisht officers and seven
hundred and eighty-two enlisted men, aud e.. route
for Chattanooga ninety three officers and nine hni-
hundred and seven men, making thousand eight
hundred and ten ON hand, tha. will exchange for
a like number Of my own men, captured by you III
this campaign, who belong to ragiHients with me,
and who can resume their places ut once, as take
for granted you will do the with yours In
other words, for these am not tcitHg to fakt
equivalents belonging 10 ofhe, armies than my orr"
ch0 belong TO regiments trhoSe times are oaf and
Hk0 hare been discharged.
BY your laws all men eligible for service ipso
Jaco soldiers, and very good one 1t is and II need
ed for civil duty, they are simply detailed soldiers
We found i'll Atlanta about thousand Of these fell
lows, ana satisfied they are fit subjects Of ex-
change, and if you will release an equal number oi
poor fellows at Anderson wl. gather these to-
gether and send them as prisoners They seem 70
have been detailed for railroad and shop duty, and
do not ask for them equal number OF my trained
soldiers, but will take belonging to any part of
the United States army subject to your control.
We hold good many OF your men styled . DESERT
ers," who were really stragglers, and would be a
good offset to such of straggers and foragers
your cavalry pick up OF our men, but am con-
strained to give these men, though sorey against
the grain, the benefit Of their character, pretended
or real.
In reply to this declaration OF the Yankee policy,
not to exchange prisoners for their own men whose
time OF service has expired, General Hood replies
Your refusal TO receive in exchange your soldiers
belonging to regiments whose times are out and
who have been discharged discloses fixed par-
pose on the part OF your Government to doom to
hopeless captivity those prisoners whose term OF ser
wee has expired, or viii soon expire.
The new principle which you seek to interpolate
upon the cartel Of our respective Governments, as
well upon the laws and customs of war; will not
be sanctioned by All captives taken i'll war who
owe no obligations to the captors must stand upon
the same equal footing The duration of these terms
OF service can certainly impose duties or obllga-
tons on the captors. The volunteer Of day and
the consoript for the war, who may be captured i'll
war, equally subject to all of the burtLens and
equally entitled to all the rights secured by the laws
OF nations This principle is distinctly conceded in
the cartel entered into by respective Govern
ments, and is sanctioned by reason justice, and the
public law of all civilized nations.
My oflcr to exchange the prisoners captured du-
ring the campaign precludes an intention on my
part Ill the delivery to discriminate between your
prisoners, as all would have been delivered; and,
even had 1t been intended, this discrimination be-
tween your men, whose term of service had and had
not expired, would have been impossible, and could
not have been effected, had reliable means Of
ascertaining what proportion of your men were
titled to their discharge
Your avowal that this class of your soldiers will
not be exchanged, but will be rewarded by the sut
tering and privatons incident to military imprison
ment because their holiness and courage subjected
them to capture, although their term OF service had
nearly expired, is deeply regretted by ME, share
the earnest desire Of my Government to release
from prolonged confinement the large humber Of
prisoners held By both parties
Permit me to hope that this declared policy OF
your Government VIII be reconsidered, 1t Is
Justly oppressive TO those whom TIE haZuIds OF mill
tary service has rendered prisoners and Is v0lative
Of the well-Understood obligations assumed by a
Government towards those who enlisted III it3
service.
As was proper, notified my Government. Of my
offer you t. effect exchange OF prisoners cap
turel during this campaign, and not only my
action approved, but my Government placed II my
entire disposal, fvr immediate exchange, ion
mau all the prisoners at Andersonyllle.