The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-08
General Buffers Report

General Hutler's Report
FFoa lbe Tribune
General Buffers report to the Committee of
Congress in regard to the exchange of prison
ers during the war is document of unusual
interest. We find that in 1868 the Rebels
held $1,000 of our men who were dying of cold
and starvation, while the $4,000 Rebels held
by the United States were well taken care of.
General Butler and the Secretary of War pro
posed to treat the Rebel officers in our hands
precisely as our men were treated in Libby,
but this plan was abandoned after consultation
with General Grant. General Butler, in De-
cember, was appointed Commissioner of Ex-
change, and found the Confederate generals
anxious to exchange, man for man, but that
the Confederate Government refused to treat
With General Butler on the ground that he
commanded negro troops. Notification to that
effect was sent to our Government, which
refused, of course, to admit the right of the
Confederate authorities to outlaw our officers.
Exchanges continued till March, 1864, when
General Butler had an interview with Mr..
Ould, which convinced him that retaliation
would compel the Rebels to abandon their re-
fusal to exchange colored soldiers. The Gov
ernment, informed of these facts, referred the
matter to General Grant, who, in April, di-
rected General Butler to decline, until other
wise ordered, all further negotiations and
shortly afterYards instructed him to consider
the determination of the Rebels to make dis
tinction between white and colored prisoners
as refusal on their part to agree to further
exchange. General Butler was also instructed
to receive all the sick and wounded the Rebels
would give up, but to send no more in ex-
change. In August the Rebels offered to
renew the exchange, man for man. General
Grant then telegraphed the following import
ant order:-"It is hard ON our men held in
Southern prisons not to exchange them, butt
is humanity to those left in the ranks to fight
our battles. Every man released on parole or
otherwise becomes an active soldier against
us at once, either directly or indirectly. If we
commence a system of exchange which Gbe-
rates all prisoners taken, we will have to fight
on until the whole South is exterminated. If
we hold those caught, they amount to no more
than dead men. AT this particular time, to
release all Rebel prisoners North would insure
Sherman's defeat, and would compromise our
safety here" In the meanwhile General
Butler, learning that colored prisoners were
employed as laborers by the Rebels, notified
their Commissioner that an equal or greater
number of their men should be so employed
in our service, and this action was approved
by General Grant. In October 1864,
General Butler directed Colonel Mulford to
proceed to Savannah with fleet to carry the
Rebel sick, and bring back our own-an
exchange of about Il, 900 of our men. In No
vember, Colonel Mulford informed General
Butler that he was detained at Fortress Mon
roe by the want of transportation, and that the
sufferings of our men at Savannah were fear
fully increased by the delay. General Butler
in reply ordered him to start at once to yield
to no subordinate interference-to yield to
nothing but armed force, and not to that if he
could meet it. These are the main facts which
the report presents in regard to the RESPONSE
bility of the failure to exchange prisoners, and
they will certainly command no ordinary at
tention.