The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-01
The Latest Calumny.

From The ~. y. EUeHtr0 Post
The very small work of inventing personal
slanders against the foremost soldier of the
republic, into which some Democratic papers
seem to think they are forced by their despe-
rate prospects, is carried on by few of them
as If they liked it.; and, to all who love their
country and are proud of its splendid names,
is one of the most painful features of the poll
tical canvass. The World of this city seems
to take the lead in this peculiar line, but is
sharply followed up, and even with improve
ments, by many country journals.
The last device of partisan malice is to re-
present General Grant as cruel. 1t is asserted
that he was regardless of the brutal tortures
inflicted on our soldiers by the present leaders
of the Democratic party in the Southern States,
and refused to exchange prisoners with them,
man for man, except on unreasonable condi-
tiOns. From this assumption the World infers
that all the anguish OF starvation, exposure,
slow disease, and lingering death of mind and
body, to which leading Southern Democrats
subjected thousands OF patriot soldiers at An
dersonvile, Charleston and Richmond, are to
be charged solely to the General of our armies
II there is any one feature of General
Grants character so familiar to this nation
that partisan passion cannot obscure it, it is
his distinguished humanity. In every stage
of his career he has been noted for that tender
sympathy with suffering, which Joins with
valor and skill to form the triple star of
great soldiers glory The soldiers who
were rescued by his triumphs from their living
graves in the Libby and at Andersonville,
have told their story to the world; and all
men now know that, although the men who
had followed Grant, when they were lingering
on the brink of death, and hoping for it as
deliverance, might doubt of their own rescue,
might even doubt of their country's cause,
they never doubted of their great commanders
heart. And to them might safely be left the
answer to this charge.
But there are other facts, equally we'll
known, which come forward in every memory
to refute the slander. We print elsewhere the
account given by General Meredith, one of our
commissioners for the exchange of prisoners,
showing exactly why the exchanges were so
much interrupted. The notorious fact is that
| the Rebel Government Systematically subjected
| prisoners of war to bad treatment as a matter
| of policy. By torturing the prisoners they
| thought to disgust their Northern friends with
| the war; as well as to destroy Union men. BY
| giving them food Of less quantity and meaner
| quality than is necessary to sustain healthy
1 life, they saved their own stores and prolonged
! their resistance But their main object was to
force Us to an exchange of prisoners on their
own terms.
Our soldiers were of two classes, white and
| black. The Rebels would exchange the white
| men, if they could retain the blacks to murder
| them. The Government refused to permit
| this The Rebels claimed that the whites
were prisoners of war; but the blacks were
| traitors and epies. They would give up only
the former, reserving the latter to be dealt
with according to their own bloody laws
| against negro revolt. Neither Mr.. Lincoln nor
General Grant would acknowledge this dis
tinction; nor yield up any portion of the de-
tenders OF the Union, as out of the protection
of the flag they fought Tor. This was the
first difficulty; and under all the complica-
| ha ftar
remained essentially the difficulty in ex-
! changing.
Suppose it to be true, as some of the lead
ing Democrats who were then prominent in
torturipg our soldiers now claim, that towards
the close of the war they were eager to waive
that point for time and to exchange all
| prisoners, man for man, who does ii shew
| Merely that the situation had changed, so
that they clearly saw that if an exchange
| could be effected they could prolong the war,
but that without it they must speedily fail.
| The rebel armies were now in a state of
siege. Fighting behind vast Notifications,
which could easily be defended against triple
numbers, their great want was men. The
| grand strategy of General Grant and the he
roic fighting of his armies had SO reduced tn
rebel forces that they could no longer eifec-
| lively man their intrenchments. Under these
| circumstances one able soldier being worth to
the besieged as much as three to the assail-
| ants, they were willing to give man for man.
| They were willing to carry forward to the front
the faint and dying victims of their torture
| houses, and exchange them for many stall
wart, well-fed rebel prisoners. Under all the
| pressure of the thous .nds who could not un-
derstand why their friends should not be de-
livered at any cost, our Government took the
responsibility of refusing. ..
| If this decision was made by General Grant
it is one tor which the country will honor him
for ever. 1t was a far-sighted humanity, a
higher charity than pitiful sentimentalsm
can understand; but rugged and a noble
charity, which saved the lives of scores OF
thousands. 1t cut short the war. 1t defed
the misrepresentation of enemies on both
sides of the camp, and assumed the responsi-
bility OF leaving our innocent friends to suffer
short time in Rebel prisons, in order that
the nation might be saved. Had Grant been
weak enough to yield at that time, and yet
strong enough to induce the whole admins
tration to yield with him, the great day o
AppOmattox Court House might have been
delayed a year, or forever.
But the assurance with which the murder
ers of our soldiers now charge their owI
crimes upon General Grant, ON the pretenst
that he might have rescued his friends from
their hands little sooner, is surely without a
parallel. That Robert Ould, Confederate agent
tor the exchange of prisoners, should now b'
summoned as witness against the humanity
of the Union leader, is something at which on,
knows not whether to laugh or to be indig
pant But no laughter can do justice to it
absurdity; no Indignation to its infinite mean
ness. The southern leaders OF the Democratic
party will do well, as speedily as possible II
tuIn their attention, and, if they can, the