The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-26
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.


There are some thirty-fve thousand Uniou
soldiers now penned up in a naked field near
Anderson, GeOrgia-exposed 10 all the inclemeu-
cies OF the weather, and fsmshiug, sickeuiug,
and dying, or each, by hundreds weekly. They
would shelter themselves II permitted to cut tim
Der for that purpose; so that, while their suffer
ings from hunger are probably occasIoned in
part by tue poverty Of the Rebels, their other
sufferinas are mainly wanton, wilful cruelties.
Yet there they are, and therc they mast remain
till exchanged, unless liberated by victory or
death.
What should our Government do to secure
speedy release Of these hapless patriotsl
First, let us zee what ii has already done.
There are serious disputes between the respect
i've Commissioners of EXCHANGES. Generals on
either side have disregardea the paroles given by
some OF their men who had been taken prisoners.
We claim large balance OF parolCd men now
due Us (maiuly taken by Grant in his Nlcksbug
campaign, which claim is somehow disputed or
demurled 20. But this has nos stopped exchanges.
The Rebel Government has hitherto refused 70
exchange or treat us prisoners OF war any black
soldiers captured by them. BuG this position is
30 mRniie6tly wrong that Il las at last been
greatly modified, preparatory, we trust
90 ia complete rellnqushmcnt. The Iiobc
War ONCE has recently ordered thsi blacks en-
listed IN free States, and not proved T. have brcl
slaves 20 ConlVdcrates, shal! EcnCo4urth he
treated, < captured, a. prisoners Of war. Here ,7
u CiciI CNllthhtOu Lluk OUT AfGAtllAttl HI Ata
hitherto icon right with regard 30 rlC,e Itis no =
conceded that 10 be liReren has ri .l' 20 dictate
% another the color OF his soldiers. III any sSi
treated otherwise, il must be on ono OF those
grounds II. They are slaves of COuCcdCratas I.
2. They are subjects Of one or another Of the
seeded States; or, 3. Their treatment is con-
fessedly wrong.
Now the Rebel armies are mainly onicered and
wholly commanded by men educated undoT the
direction and at the expense Of the UniOn-men
who have solemny sworn allegiance tO the Fedc-
raj Government, and most OF whom have been
officers in the Federal army. Lieutenant General
Pemberton, who surrendered NCksburg; Major
General Gardner, who surrendered Port Hudson
General Simon Buckner, taken with Fort Dom
elson, are conspicuous example, OF Rebel leaders
who were citizens of loyal STATES. Oar captures
of Rebel soldiers, who were citizens Of loyal
States, are already numbered by thousands.
We exchange all the prisoners we take, except
spies or deserters, during this war, from our
armies In face OF the enemy, and we ask the
Rebels to do the same. What we propose is %
give man for man. rank for rank, till one side or
the other has been utterly eXhlusfed. Is not
that fair What should We DO more
But we have not stopped there. OuT Commis-
sioner, Colonel Meredith, having been involved
in quarrel with Colonel Ould, the Rebel Com
missioner, we withdrew AID replaced him; hut
the Rebels did not recipr0cate. They next 10
nounced Alajor-G General Batter, and would have
no dealings with him; we p0cketed the insult,
and sent them Major Mulford, against whom
they make no complaint. Bui sll they refused
70 give us man for man, rank Or rank, Till one or
the other party should have no moro 70 give.
AT length, Major Mulford, as instructed by
General Butler, put aside all questions in dis
pute, and sent up five hundred Rebel prisoners
Ior exchange, asking the enemy % send us an
equal number In return. They did this once OF
Niee' sending as men disabled and dying from