Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-11
General Hitchcock i'm Defence OfSee-
rofarv stanton.

dated saturday, makes defence OF the Sec
retary of War in the accusations made
against Mr.. Stanton on the subject of ex-
change of prisoners. This letter is sup
Elementary to one of August 2lst on the
same subject, and is called for, General
Hitchcock says, because the latter does not
appear to have satisfied certain individu-
ais who seem determined to give effect to
their accusations against Mr.. Stanton by
the fource of strenuous repetions OF them.
General Hitchcock proceeds:
The accusations against the Secretary
of Wa appear to be substantially that he
refused TO make exchanges man for man
and officer for officer, according to grade,
on account of a "few negroes held as
prisoners of wal in the South, whom the
enemy refused to exchange. Mr.. Browne
states that from his information, which
was obtained chiefly at Salisbury, in North
Carolina, the whole number of that class
of prisoners did not exceed three hundred.
We are obliged to suppose that Mr..
Browne honestly relied upon the infor-
nation he alleged to have received at Sal
isbury, not only on this point. but also
upon some other material points, although
that information was from rebel sources
entirely, and was undoubtedly designed
to deceive and impose upon MIR. Browne
and his unfortunate associates IN prison.
l waive the argument at present that a
principle of action especially in the con-
duct of a government, is not usually de-
termined by a consideration of the pre-
else number of individuals who may be Of
fected by it at the moment of its adoption.
In the case under consideration, the prin-
ciple should not be regarded as having
reference only to the three hundred pris-
oners supposed by Mr.. Browne to en-
brace all the colored troops Of the United
States in the hands of the enemy, but, as
a principle, was designed to cover and
protect all of that class of soldiers who
might in the course of the wal fall into the
hands of the enemy. Bnt in point Of fact,
Mr.. Browne is entirely mistaken in sup
posing his information was to be relied
upon reaching him as it did from the reb-
els BY whom he was surrounded, and de-
Stoned as it undoubtedly wac to dccoivc-
him and others similarly situated, and
through that deception to create dissatis-
faction toward the government.
. LII hit Lllilt no uOubI lnGOlnIltl ItEOloS
of the Adjutant-G Generals Department
will be published, from which there will
be seen two special items to be considered
in connection with this subject: First,
the entire number of cOlored troops in
the service of the United States who were
entitled to know that the Government of
the United State was not unmindful of
their claims to its protection in declaring
the principles upon which exchanges
should be conducted. Secondly, the of
fetal records referred to will show the
actual number of colored troops of the
United States who fell into the hands of
the enemy, which number, I have reason
to believe did not fall much, if any, below
five thousand men, not to speak of the
proportion of officers on duty with them.
This is the rough estimate made by Col.
Foster of the Adjutant-G General $ Depart
ment in this city, who has charge of the
Military Bureau for COlOred Troops
General Hitchcock then quotes from the
Adiutant of the One Hundred and Elev-
enth Regiment of ColOred Infantry,
showing that there were in January, 1865,
at work on the Notifications about Mobile,
500 colored soldiers belonging to three
regiments only, and a reference is made
to another paper as being at the time in
the hands of another officer, an Adjutant
also of one of heterogeneous, embracing
the names of nearly 300 more soldiers of
the same command, making in all over
800 soldiers of the United States Army
at work under rebel officers on the forti-
fications around Mobile alone. L would
not myself be disposed to dwell upon the
number of prisoners of the class referred to;
but as Mr.. Browne is of the opinion that
the whole number did not exceed 300, and
gives Importance to that opinion, l cite
the statement of Lieut.. and Adj. Popple-
ton being conclusive that the information
of Mr.. Browne was entirely delusive.
With regard to the point that the Sec
of War refused to make exchange
man for man, according to grade, / make
the following statement; That in no in
stance within my knowledge did Mr.. Stan
refuse TO acquiesce in any proposition
looking to that result. There is not in
my office, nor have / ever seen, such a
proposition from the rebel commissioner
or rebel authorities, nor have I any reason
to believe that any such proposition was
made by Judge Ould or any of his
SuDtIlpIS. 4nlo Il iOJ Oily lIut tllDudLl-
cally, as a protection against the accusA-
tons leveled at Mr.. Stanton, but the pre-
else contrary is the truth. Mr.. Stanton
has not only been willing, but anxious to
make the exchanges referred to, as l have
abundant means of showing by indisputa-
bic documents. The aim and purpose of
Judge Ould was to draw from US all the
rebel prisoners we held, in exchange for
the white troops of the United States held
rs prisoners in the South, persistently re-
fusing to exchangethe colored troops down
10 a very late date, when, to carry a spe-
,ial purpose, he receded so far as to agree
exchange free colored men, leaving the
general principle where it was on his side,
against the Just claims of the large body
If colored prisoners held in the South.
The only order suspending the delivery of
'ebel prisoners ever known to me was
by the President himself, and that
done the moment it was known that
he rebels themselves mean their Pres
dent-had himself virtually set aside the
for exchanges, in order, as Nh. Da-
us declared, to subject a certain class of
Federal officers to be tried as criminals
before Southern State courts, under State
Il W :. ~ lllt DltilSlllllChI ~ int NIliliC ~ /
servile instruction. If any one
s disposed to object to that order, let him,
f he dares assail the memory of the saint
ID author of it. At that time the rebels
leld more prisoners than we, but as soon
General Grant made prisoners of the
garrison at Vicksburg, the rebels became
indebted on the score of prisoners, |
nd from that moment we, on our side,
we're anxious to make exchanges, man for
nan, though constantly asserting that
'ur colored troops when captured bythem
be treated as prisoners of war.
lot as an act of justice to individuals alone, |
whether many or few, but as both just and
with respect to the entire body oil
roops who, by the fortune of war, were
liable to capture. 1t is a very narrow
Jew to decide this question upon a mere
consideration of the precise number of
prisoners at any one time in the hands of
he enemy. The principle of protection
vas due to the entire body of troops en-
,loyment by the government. The rebels,
m their part, were opposed to making ex-
man for man, after we held an
over them, because it was their OBJ
ect to draw from us that excess to place it
n the army of Gen. Lee, without return
ng to us an effective body of men in ex-
They insisted upon this on the
round thatthe cartel required it; although
when they thought it was their interest,
hey did not hesitate to violate the cartel,
hus absolving us from the observance
f it.