The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-31
EXCHANGE or PRISONERS.
Another Letter from Ex-RebeI COmmis-
HlOmer OMId.

RICHMOND, Aug q, 1S68.-To the Editor of
the National int igencer Gentlemen: The
Chronicle OF the 25th Instant gives the following
letter OF mine without date, addressed to Gene
raj Winjer:-
with political prisoDers General Barrow and seve
raj other prominent men amongst them.
ling, all the military prisoners texc.pt oficers)
the poiosl prise hSve on hsSd poor enlS96 to
c, nyici hem Of 3eng spies or Of having committed
whether you thlSE Under the circumstance. they
The arrangraent haze made tOorks largely in our
receive soS'e Of The OS;t "Gtsrtqt GtT, eger sa!o
Brigadier.General WINDER
The letter is genuine. 1t was written, be.
leve, in the spring OF 1863 The Chrontoe, fol-
loving in the track OF Chipman, who introduced
the letter on the W1z trial, parades it as evil
dence OF purpose on the part OF the late Con-
tederate authorities 10 starve Union prisoners
OF war. 1t any fair man will carefully rea the
letter, he will see in moment that the latter
paragraph, which the Chronicle has italcised,
does not refer to soldiers at all, but to political
prisoners. Some time before the date OF the
letter, bad entered into an agreement with
the Federal agent of exchange tor the release of
all political prisoners on bOth sides. Some three
hundred and 6ity of that class had arrived at
City Point, and being anxious not TO detain the
Federal steamer | wrote TO General Wnder to
send all the political prisoners he had in his
charge, as we'll as soldiers. 1t was as to these po-
litlcal prisoners that wro.c the later paragraph
in Ibis letter. That maniestly appears from the
context. Every word OF that paragraph was
true both as to the class received and those sent
of. Not one Confederate soldier in service
was received at that time. Scarcely any one
of 6e three a snd 5 4esp P
palh,2eIs with the Confederate cause. Those sent
off were miserable wretches indeed. They were
mostly Tobners and incendiar!es from Western
Virginia, who were Confederate when Goa.
fedeIate armies occupied their country, and
Union when Federal troops held it; and in turn
they preyed upon side and the other, and
pillaged that portion OF the country until it was
almost given over to desolatIon. They were men
without character or princp pie, who were
ready to take any oath or engage in auy work
of pluuder And / here reiterate what wrote
then they were "a set of miserable wretches."
The Federal soldiers who passed through my
hands, / hope, know well that | would not
have applied any such phrase to them, aud
especially so II the calamities of prison life had
prostrated them.
Moreover, speak of this as "an arrange.
ment' which had made, and, therefore, must
have referred to the exchange of political
prisoners, which had just negotiated, aud not
10 the exchange OF military prisoners, which
was nee sotated by the cartel.
The Chronicle is wrong in supposing that
alternately charged "the responsibility for the
starvation OF Union prisoners" upon Secretary
Stanton. General Butler, and General Grant. No
previous statement of mine varies In any par
ticuar from the publication in the InteA1encer
OF the 20th instant; nor did any one OF them re-
late JCd PVerdl matters WHICH are contained IN
that publication. If The facts therein detailed
implica ed Secretary Stanton, General Butler,
and General Grant, or either of them, it Is not
because / charge them jointly or severaly but
because facts are stubborn things. ! have re-
Trained from charges or epithets against indi.
vduas, and only brought to the attention
of the country the humane endeavors OF
the Confederate authorities. My purpose
was TO Vindcate the truth of history, and
not to asperse or even make an assault
upon the fame or preteDsions of any man.
The Chronicle says General HltchCO "has
completely oVerthrown, by the production OF
proofs, every charge and every insnuation of
| the Rebel Commissioner Ould." Neither Gene
| raj Hitchcock or any other person has ever
| refuted the "materia facts,' or any material
| fact stated in the publication; nor has General
| Hitchcock nor any o her person even attempte
| to do so, 10 most of the matters therein con-
tanned. Has General Hitchcock said ANYTHING
| about the Confederate offer to receive Federal
| surgeons, food, cloth NC and medicines; or the
! offer t0 surrender the sick and woun led without
| recurring equivalents; or the unnoticei pro.
| posal to purchase medicine for the exclusive use
! Of the Federal sick?
The G roniCe says was discharged from
! attendance on the Wirz trial because my evil
| dance was upon lue of defense which the
| Court held to be irrelevant and incompetent as
| a defense for the crue'ties praetlced on our
! prisoners" Pray, how was it known what my
| evidence would be? ] was summoned by Wlrz,
| not by the Government. What right had the
| prosecution to take for granted what my testi
| mony world be, aud rule 1t out before it was
| offered. confess do not belong TO that class
| of lawyers who "are familiar with this procee l.
| ing " and most ferVcnily do hope never will
As to the imputations of falsehood in which
| the Chronicle ndulge9, treat them with the
| scorn which is.their due. | am content that the
people who know me shall judge bet weeL us.
Respectfully, your o0edient servant,