North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1868-07-22
e xchaMgo Of Prls 0ners- = Gen, Butler on
Gen. Grant.

Courier:
According to the testimony of B. F. But.
Ter, there can be no doubt that Gen. Grant
is the person upon whom the responsible
ty rests Of failure to exchange prisoners
during the latter part Of the war. Gen.
Butler, in his report made in December
1868, upon the state Of negotiations for an
exchange Of prisoners with Gen. Ould, the
confederate commissioner, says:
"Mr. Ould left on the 3lst of March,
with the understanding that l would get
authority and information from my gov
ernment, by which all disputed points
possible could be nd djusted, and would then
confer with him further, either meeting
him at City Point or elsewhere for that
purpose. In the meantime the exchanges
of sick and wounded, and special exehang.
es. should go on.
Lieutenant Gen. Grant visited Fortress
Monroe oa the lst Of April, being the first
time had ever met him.
To him the state Of the negotiations as
to exchange was verbally communicated
and most emphatic verbal directions were
received from the lieutenant general not to
take any step by which another able bodied
man should be exchanged until further
orders from him.
On the 14th Of April Gen. Butler re-
ceived a telegram from Gen. Grant, at
Washington, stating that the whole sub.
iect Of exchange of prisoners had been re-
ferred to him as follows:
"Washington l | p. m, April l4th 1864.
Major General Butler: Your report
respecting negotiations with commissioner
Ould for the exchange Of prisoners of war
has been referred to me by my orders.
Until examined by me, and my orders
thereon are received by you decline all
further negotiations.
"U. S. Grant, Lieutenant General
Six days later, after General Grant had
examined" he sent long telegram to
Gen. Butler stating that he had been EN-
powered to "give such instructions as |
may deem proper" and he gave instruc,
tons of which Gen. Butler saws:
"Of course, these instructions, in the
then state of negotiations, rendered any
further exchange impossible, and retalia-
ton useless"
General Butler says he then made an
effort to have the sick and wounded ex-
cepted, so that they might be exchanged
and he received the following telegram:
"Washington, $50 p. IN. April 80 1864.
Major General B. F. Butler: Receive
all the sick and wounded, the confederate
authorities will send you, but send no
more in exchange. U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant General y
Upon this extraordinary instruction
Gen. Butler remarks as follows:
'.To obtain delivery of either sick and
wounded prisoners without any return
would be a somewhat difficult operation,
save that the enemy, by giving us our
wounded and sick in their hands, we re-
tanning all the rebel sick and wounded in
ours, burdened us with the care and cost
of all the sick and wounded of both sides
an operation of which it is difficult to see
the stragetic value, and only to lie de-
Tended because of its humanity in rescu-
ing our wounded from the destitution and
sutferlngs permitted to them by the con-
tederates.
In August the question of exchanging
prisoners was again up, the rebel COM
m:ssioners having renewed the offer to
give man for man, and officer for officer.
But General Grant interposed, and in a
telegram to General Butler, dated City
Point, August Is, 1864, said:
On the subject of exchange, I differ
from General Hitchcock; it is hard on our
men held in southern prisons not to ex-
change them, but it is humanity to those
left in the ranks to fight our battles.-
Every man released on parole or other
wise, becomes an active soldier against us
at once, either directly or indirectly If
we commence a system of exchange which
liberates all prisoners taken, we will have
to fight on until the whole south is exter-
minated. 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. Z. 5. GRANT,
Lieutenant General.
The conclusion of the report of Gcner-
al Butler is most significant. 1t is couched
in strong language, and we give it in full.
Ii is the great leader Of the radicals at
this time, and what he says in regard to
this refusal to exchange prisoners by the
present candidates Of the radicals for the
presidency, General Grant, is most earn
estly commended to their attention:
have felt it may duty to give an ac-
count with this particular carefulness of
my participation in the business of ex-
change of prisoners, the orders under
which acted, and the negotiations at
tempted, which comprises faithful mar
ration of all that was done, SO that all may
become matter OF history.
The great importance of the questions !;
the fearful responsibility for the many
thousands Of lives which, by the refusal to
exchange, were sacrificed by the most cruel
form of death. from cold, starvation and
pestilence of the prison pens of Raleigh
and Andersonville, being more than all
the British soldiers killed in the war of
Napoleon the anxiety of fathers, brothers,
sisters, mothers, wives. to know the ext
gency which caused this terrible and per-
haps, as it may have seemed to them, use
less and unnecessary destruction of those
dear to them by horrible deaths, each and
all have compelled me to this exposition,
SO that it may be seen that these lives were
spent as part Of the system of attack up
on the rebellion, devised by the wisdom of
the General in Chief of the times, to des-
troy it by depletion, depending upon our
superior numbers to win the victory at
last.
The loyal mourners will doubtless de-
rive solace from this fact, and appreciate
all the more highly the genius which con-
ceived the plan and the success won at SO
great cost.
HEALTH AND MoNEY.-There is this diff
ference between those two temporal bless
ings, health and money money is the
most envied, but the least enjoyed health
is the most enjoyed, but the least envied !;
and this superiority of the latter is still
more obvious, when We reflect that the
poorest man would not part with health
for money, but that the rich would gladly
part with all their money for health.