The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-08-31
when Federal troo,s held il:

| when Federal troops held it; and in
turn they prsyed upon one side and
the other, and pillaged that portion Of the
country until it was almost given over to
desolation. They were men without charac-
ter or principle, who were ready to take
| any oath or engage in any work of plum
der. And I here reiterate what wrote
then-they were ga set Of miserable
wretches." The Federal soldiers who passed
through my hands, hope, know we'll that
would not have applied any such phrase
to them, and especially 80 if the calamities
of prison life had FRUSTRATED them.
Moreover, Ispeak Of this as " an arrange
ment" which ! had made, and therefore
must have referred to the exchange of DO
htical prisoners, which had just negotia-
ted, and not to the exchange of military
prisoners, which was negotiated by the car
tel.
The Chronicle is wrong in supposing that
have alternately charged "the RESPONSE
bility for the starvation of Union prison
ers" upon Secretary Stanton, General
Butler, and General Grant. No previous
statement of mine varies in any particular
from the publication in the Intelligencer Of
the goth instant, nor did any one of them
relate to several matters which are con-
tained in that publication. If the facts
therein detailed implicate Secretary STAN
ton, General Butler, and General Grant, or
either Of them, it is not because charge
them jointly or severally, but because facts
are stubborn things. have refrained from
charges or epithets against individuals, and
only brought to the attention of the country
IL oF @6a ,Pa1a IN
authorities. My purpose was to vindicate
the truth of history, and not to asperse or
even make an assault upon the fame or pre-
tentions of any man. sa
The Chronicle says General Hitchcock
{" has completely overthrown, by the pro-
duction of proofs, every charge and every
insinuation of the rebel Commissioner
Ould." Neither General Hitchcock or any
other person has ever refuted the mate
rial facts" or any material fact stated in
the publication; nor has General Hitch
cock or any other person even attempted
to do so as to most Of the matters therein
contained. Has General Hitchcock said
anything about the Confederate offer to
receive Federal surgeons, food, clothing, and
medicines or the offer to surrender the
sick and wounded without requiring equiva-
Tents or the unnoticed proposal to pur-
chase medicines for the exclusive use of
the Federal sick7
The Chronicle says was discharged from
attendance on the Wirz trial because my
evidence was "upon line of defence which
the court held to be irrelevant and incompe-
tent as defence for the cruelties practiced
on our prisoners" Pray, how was it known
what my evidence would bea was sum-
moned by Wirz, not by the Government.
What right had the prosecution to take for
granted what my testimony would be, and
rule it out before it was offered confess
l do not belong to that class Of lawyers who
"are familiar with this proceeding" and
most fervently do hope l never will.
AS to the imputations of falsehood in
which the Chronicle INDUCES, I treat them
with the scorn which is their due. am
content that the people who know me shall
judge between US.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
Ro. OULD.