Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-29


day. and We reproduce j, jest Is il appeared IN
that print. The secret history Of the var, -
veil a. that Of the actors engaged in s. which
She Commercial develops. are entitled to the con-
sideration Of the people irrespective of partisan
synpsthies. and its criticisms will be appreciated
by every intelligent, person:
For some purpose. beet known 10 the War
Office, bat invisible to the max ed eve Of the PEG
pie. General Buffers resignation Of bis commits
sion - Major General vas not accepted Gen.
Butler rendered good service - Chief Of Police
10 Nsw Orleans. but he 10 no soldier, and never
failed to blunder in the presence Of tho enemy.
He ought to be mustered out, and bis salary and
allowances a. q Major General saved.
It has been suggested that be IL wanted on q
military commission TO try some Of the leading
rebels. and in order TO prepare himself to dis
charge the duties Of . judicial Office in the most
exemplary style. he has been making speech
lat Lowell, on the Fourth Of JULY urging that
Robert E. Lee and jefferson DAVE be hanged.
he would. therefore. be admirably fitted to try
them. General Butler sAid:
"Whc. in all the world, philanthropst or poll
ticisn. editor or historian, soldier or civilian. has
sent up. or will send up. petition that the keep
ere Of she murder pens, Libby, Belle Isle, Millen
and Andersonville, shall De pardonedf The un-
dried tears Of the sister of every mastered SOL
der demands their execution. The forlorn woe
of each lonely widow cries for il Heavens
justice. the silent agony of every bereaved
mother mutely pleads that her sons murderer
shall not blast her sight in life All nature and
natures God by His holy law has decreed that
The brothers murderer shall not live. Who then
shall stay the hand Of justice: Who shall stand
between these men and the penalty OF the la~E
There 10 none-not one.
"But hold /. there no answer for these pre-
Judged criminals! Have they no plea TO put in
when so summarily arraigned a. your BARI Hear
them in mercy. and deal with them 10 justice
Hear them as they answer for their lives We,
the jailors OF Andersonville, Libby and Belle
Isle, were but inferior military officers. We did
but carry out the orders of our superiors. IL We
had refused to do their bidding. we should have
been court marsialed aud hanged. We we're but
the hands TO do what the heads uiled We but
followed out the policy OF Jefferson Davis. the
President of the Confederate States. to deplete,
By starvation, the armies of the United States
and only executed the orders of Robert K. Lee.
Commander in Chief Of our armies, 10 prevent
reinforcemeDts coming to you. our enemies. by
exchange OF prisoners Why hang US, and sub
scribe 500 900. in New York. as a testi nonial to
himf What kind of justice in your Government
ID IL 70 shut us up in prison for obeyng bis orders,
and permit him TO retire to his home, in Virginia,
like another Cincnnatus, returning not from
serving. but running his country?
Why visit all your punishment upon usi We
are poor illitefate men-mere jaiors We we're
not educated At the peoples expense at West
Point. as we're President Davis and General Lee.
We have never sworn feslty to vour flag in SOL
emn service We did not hold, a. the beginning
Of the war. high Offices, civil or military in the
Senate and army of the United States.
eff we we're guilty of the death Of your sol
diers at AndersonVille as subordinates. we're they
not not equally guilty as superiors? Besides,
die they not bring on the war BY their action in
the Senate and army, and without them, and
such as they, would the war ever have been be-
gun or carried on at all? Are they not guilty,
then Of the death of all our brothers. sons, hus-
bands and fathers every battle field, in every
hospital and in every prisoni Ii you punish
not them, and such as they, why punish usf
And their questions are hard to answer.
"These men. does not justice say, ought not
TO be hangcd-at least alone
"If, then, we believe that our men were muir
dered NJ Andersonville: if we have not put forth
. solemn falsehood to the world in this behalf
against the South; il treason, aggravated by
murders most foul and nu mberless is not worthy
of death; if their blood has not been shed in
vain; IL our country, for whose safety so many
good and brave men have been offered up, ID
worth the sacrifice of the lives of great crimi-
mails. then let these ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS men
be executed as a warning aud example that
all men may understand hereafter that he who
oims blow at the life of hs country shall surely
die"
Gen. Butler mentioned in his famous Lowell
speech, made last winter, that he had some hand
in preventing the exchange of prisoners who we're
starved to death in the South. He stated tha
the rebels were anxious to exchange, and would
have done 50 if it had not been our policy to
keep all the rebels We captured He said:
In August last. Mr.. Ould finding negotiations
we're broken of. and that no exchanges were
made, wrote to General Hitchcock, the Commits
soner at Washington, that the rebels were ready
10 exchange man for man, Gil the prisoners held
BY them, as / had proposed in December. Under
the instructions of the Lieutsnt General, I wrote
to hr. Ould letter, which has been published
saying: Do you mean TO give up all your action
and revoke all your laws about the black mep
employed as soldiersr These questions were
therein argued Justly, as l think, not dplomat
cally. but obtrusveiy aud demonstratively, no,
for the purpose of furthering an exchange o.
prisoners. but for the purpose Of preventing anG
stopping an exchange, and furnishing . ground
on which We could fairly stand"
This was when u was known the rebels were
treating men badly Ii is trus General Butler
disdsined. responsibility for this, but If he Wa.
against IL. be can only plead that he lent himself
Win facility 10 az infamous business.
Speaking of murder pens" If General Butler
forgets that he aided in keeping our men in
them, he ought 10 remember that when he was
intrusted with the Army of the James he lad one
of his own. In the testimony given by General
Grant. on the 18th OF February, before the Con
gressional Committee on the Conduct Of th,
War. We fad the following:
90 Do you know anything about Chaplain
Hpdsonf
a. had that case investigated, but csnno
give the exact result of the investigation. Til,
man was confined for fifty odd days in what Il
called the bull pen, near General Buffers head
quarters. understood-put in with deserters anc
all sorts OF prisoners The investig alton show.
that be was there that length Of time without
charges aud without trial. though during goot
par; Of the time he was there Gen Butler bad
court martial sitting right at his headquarters
and could have tried him.
"By the Chairman:
20 How long ago was thst'
"a lie WAS conhned during the fall In ca,
months of September. October and November
de vas released while Gen. Butler vas in Neu
York city. at the time of the election. He "a
released on the 9th of November. | think
20. When did the case come TO your knovl
edge.
"A. ! received letter from a lady here il
ths city telling me about the case immedi
ately ordered Chaplain Hudson TO report 20 me
and then bal bis case Investigated. The mai
bad been all this time in confinement without N,
knosledge.