The New York herald., 1865-03-13
The Exchange of Ten Thousand
Prisoners.
General SchOfield Appeals to the Sani-
tary Commission for Aid for
the Suffering Prisoners.
Important and Valuable Property Cap
tured at Wilmington,


mngton and ts surroundings tho capture OF which was
flung celebration of washngton's birthday lct mo
give you some OF the results OF my observations
srEENG1H DErEScEs
In the frat place 1t is clear amy military that
had tn, rebels really desired hold the place. and had
they had troops spare properly garrison dcfnces
force that could have against It would have
been Sufficient to wrcst II from them. No robeT city
with perhaps tho sagc exception Of Richmond
more thoroughly fortified Tn, maps with which you
have been furnished and which have been spread before
tho readers Of tho HERALD faithfully exhibited the char
acter OF tho works surrounding the city with tn single
exception OF additional line OF temporary esrhwoxk
In which Hoke held forces In check the 2lt In
order to gain time 70 dsmantle the older works Tn
line from Drumree Point directly the
peninsula 10 the headwatcrs Of small stream cmptyng
into Masonboro Sound Otherwise your maps exhibit the
works found them, only that maps best bit
perfectly portray tho topography Of country its
duations &c, upon which its defensive nature depends
The face of the country about Wilmington is
all that could be desired for defensive works small
force, merely sufficient TO man the existing cntrcnch
ments and bait res could have boon
by tho slow and tedious operations OF regulnr invest
mont and scge. The rebel leaders had this sufficient
force spare and therefore they the pos
But this fact bo conclusive proof Of
the waning fortunes Of the rebellion From proract d
othcrwiscI conync d that this city consi-
dercd worth holding after the fall OF Fort Fisher. That
signal defeat to them doom-d the town. 1t
looked for catastrophe to them. Had 1t been consi-
der,d necessary, they would havc concentrated
half their forces here TO defend the mouth Of
the river. But the bonbasc assurance Of Bragg
that Fort Fisher could not possibly be taken
by any force deceived them; when it fell the bogus
confederacy received n staggering blow tlaa had
ever before befc It. Thcnceforth Wilmington became
Of but triang Importance TO them, and was left 10 be
taken whenever should chooae to advance nst it,
Rxo1pTuRED PRIscNERs
Whom our forces were being marshallod for a lnal
blow at the immed defcnces of the town, and when
the enemy had exhausted his hold back
in order get away his troops and material, flag Of
TO General Terrys Lnos proposing
exchange OF twenty five hundred prisoners and suspen
sion Of hostcs for that purp9se At this time we Ind
knowledge of the possession OF any Union prisoners
by the rebels at Wilmington, had information been
received Of tho agreement entered into between Gem,
rails Grant and Lc by which prisoners may be delivered
at the convenient point TO tho party holding them
but considering tho whole affair gain time the
proposition promptly rejected. 1t turns
that the rcbss did have here or eight thousand
prisoners who had been brought from the prison pens
further south In the route Of shcrman's advance Ar
| rivng here they were sent forward to GoIdsbCro
then Immediately brought back here, either for
change hder the Grrt lfe arrangement, or to avoid
fanced danger al Goldsboro and on our advance
again sent North transportation being sarcs the
bulk Of them required ~ walk many icot and
SICK being pressed at the point Of tho bayone; while
about three hundred too sick and ated to move
were loft here In n hospital in a pabe condition
OF squalor filth and misery Many concealed
by citizens HI private houses .. these two or three
hundred have been found and cared for. One Rcntlo
presented forty thousand dollars rebel money TO the
prisoners to relieve their pressing wants
SPECIAL ExcHASoS or TIN THou.ASD PRISONERS AT
MISGToN
Since occupation Of the rebels have renewed
their proposition TO exchange prisoners here and Gen
schoield has entered into arrangements with om for
exchange OF ten thousand ut this point The delivery
us will commence immediately, and tho return will be
made rapidly rebel prisoners be brought here
from the North The reports have heard here OK the
condition OF these prsohers leads 10 the anticipation Of
vast amount Of want and suffering among them Gen.
Schoneld has already made appeal to the Sanitary
Commission and other channels Of benevolent relief At
the North prepare cipated calls upon pub
lie bounty The bounty OF the
quickly forthcoming.
or course during the pendency OF this exchange mill.
tary operations must be suspended hercabouts or
lines at present advanced about miles beyond the
city, where they confront the column Of Hokc oppo
site banks OF the northeast branch OF the Cape Fear
river General Terry advanced 10 this place yesterday.
and closely did he follow the retrcatag rcbs that
many OF their sraggiers picked up, and the pom
toon bridge by which they were crossing the ryor was
captured.
rug cArruRrD PROPERTY AT wnsNGros
All the rebel property stored here was either removed
or destroyed. Immense of cotton were de-
sroycd, though thorc yet remains scattered about
small lots perhaps three or -four thousand bales mostly
belonging u private parties Thousands Of bales
sent up the river Gais and bgcs some OF which may
yet bo captured The rclcs or tho roll
ing stock OF the several railroads bIincd
the dcpots nnd the bridges in the vicinity well all
the public and private machine shops factories several
large warehouses fled with cotton rosn, turpentin,
etc. burned and destroyed number Of ine steamers,
and a wreck, far rs they could without Ia rally
destroying the town. OF everything that could bc o any
pnrng the withdrawal Of the rebel troops wirch l.
tn
der propr ETY. the Of thieves and villains who
nfcst a large towns took occasion 70 pnge ana rob hy
the Wholesale stores broken open and their
tents carried on TO places Of ooncoanent and wanun
destruction committed on all hands Scarccy store
shop In but has its lass front stove IN the resut ~
the lawlcss conduct charged to thess y 0undrpls.
The citizens OF Wilmington have generally remained
here, and yield very gracefully a. t'ie change ~ fuc
large population of specuiatoIr' government
agents, people Interested n hlocNade r nnng,
and others prominently dcntiaed w,h las rebellion,
fled with the rebel army This las 81 people DOES lot
necessarily include any great portion u ~ r'tciabiy
Of community; but On the tonlrsry tie community is
rather benz fitted than otherwise by the cN9dns Those
who remain not ~ bitterly secession thcr scnti.
mcnts had been anticipated they would be There
strong very general southern sentiment here bat
of that bitter relentless, unyicding character
that s generally conspicuous ~ southern communities
Thor allegiance through mistaken ideas Of our govern
ment has been given 10 the South. They
quercd but the fact of being conquered while II
demands OF them a submission Viii n they honnrally
yield does not operate To alter their misguided views Of
political allegiance This to be ha dispost0n of
the better class ofthc people Thercarc ofconrse
rule loud In tn prot stations of loyalty 10 JcG
Davis and now arr equally conspicuous with the new
rsgn, and noisy with their counsel and advice Such
characters furnish index the genuine sentiments of
population and are more to be avoided than the out
spoken manly enemy.
wilmington, before the fan of Fort F,shcr was tho
most thriving and wealthy town within the rebel lines
II the great r,p0 of Southern foreign trade CALI
ing into activity and employment merchants artzns,
shpbuders Sailors aud all the branches of business aaa
trade peculiar to commercial city Here centred the
bulk OF tho foreign trade of all rcbcdom. Upwards cf
port and u them constantly being captured
destroyed by blockaier others purchased
built TO keep the number good 70 increase II to the
extent demanAcd by the unlimited demands upon the
trade.
Cold and silver circulated hero freely than at any
other point either North SVath The crews Of the
blockade runners paid In SPECIE while they dc.
manded specie payment for all the articles they
literally smugsled through In the cargocs Of their
blockade runners. Having nothing but specie
they spent with tho same freedom that Jack
always spends tis money and thus kept up sort 2,