Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-09-10
rxsAang. sf prisonsr.-w who is eailty I

Exchange az Prisonsrs-who is Guilty
From the National Intellisencer.I
The facts are thus established that oor
poor fellows who we're prisoners at An
dersonvilIe, and other Southern depots
for Federal prisoners, were allowed 70
laneuish and suffer and die, simply be-
oanse Grant would not permit them to be
exchanged, for fear that the men ex.
changed for them might return TO service
10 the rebel army. These men who were
prisoners as Andersonville and elsewhere
10 the South had for the most part, served
out their terms Of enlistment. If ex d.
changed they would have been returned
to their families, to be nursed back TO
life and usefulness by the hand Of affec.
ton and the comforts Of home. For this
very reason their exchange was refused.
II cannot be denied, by either soldier
or civilian, that this excuse Of Gen.
Grant was both inhuman and cowsrdly.
II is akin TO his policy Of fighting i out
on this line if il takes all summer" by
coolly giving three for one in every en-
gagement with the enemy. The North
was rich in proud hearts and gallant spir
It's, the pride Of their families, OF their
home circles, and their neighborhoods.
They were warmed up with appeals to
their patriotism, and freely offered their
young lives as a sacrifice upon the altar
Of their coun,ry. They knew not then
as they know now, that they were to be
ordered forward to the sacrifice by an
unfeeling butcher, whose only idea Of
achieving victory was to give three
Federal soldiers for one rebel, and then
to allow the Federal soldiers who we're so.
unfortunate as to be captured by the enc.
my TO starve and rot and die in Southern
prison pens. Such, however, is now es-
tablished to have been the fact This
was the whole sum and substance Of
Grants generalship. His whole capaci-
ty for argument amounted to a calcula-
ton that as there were ten millions of
people in the South, and thirty millions
in the North, he could eventually succeed
by giving three for one. Such was Grants
logic of the war.
:" To the Editor Of the National Intellisencer:
While the subject of the exchange of
prisoners Is being discussed by the pa
pers, wish to furnish you with an inter-
esfing chapter.
soon after Sherman captured Atlanta,
q cartel for the exchange of two thousand
prisoners was agreed upon by him and
Gen. Hood, then in command ofthe Con-
federate army. Pending the negotiations
President Davis telegraphed Gen. Hood,
placing the whole number of prisoners at
at his disposal, and in
structing him to offer to exchange them,
man for man, with Gen. Sherman.
Gen. Hood at once made the offer to
Gen. Sherman, who replied that he had
no authority to exchange more than the
.wo thousand agreed upon, and more
,ver. he had only two thousand prison.
,rs in his department. Hood was there
,pon instructed to try to exact promise
rom Sherman that he wouli, at some
'uture time, send an equal number of
prisoners to us if we would then release
,very man at Andersonville. This he
refused to do. t4tH
The exchange of the two thousand
hen commenced, and was conducted in
ny presence, at q point on the Macon
md Western railroad called Rough and
Seady, md a short distance from Atlanta.
,olonel @. A. Henry aud Major Edward |
Austin, of Gen. Hoods staff, aud Willard |
Warner (row carpet-bag Senator from
Ilabams), of Shermsn's staff, repre-
ented the opposing forces. F
"We met at Rough-and Ready three
r four times-eaeh time exchanging
rom four to eight hundred. When the
umber exchanged had reached eighteen
undred, in our anxiety to get rid of An
ersonyille prisoners and get back our
wn men, we purposely took six huHdred
, the point for exchange. This, added
, the eighteen hundred, made four
undred in excess of the number agreed
pom. sreea lae w assa
when we met Warner, he vehemently
against receiving this extra
ur bu udred, and our officers as earnestly
sisted upon his taking them. Colonel
enry told him plainly the Confederate
overnment had no food or medicine to
,are for prisoners, or but very little, and
at if these men were sent back and
ed it would be his fault. After parley
g for three hours, Warner agreed to
Ike them, but we never got any men in
turn.
During the interview Warner plainly
ated his reasons for not wanting to ex-
lsuge our men for the Andersonville
isoners. These prisoners, you hold,
id he, are all, or nearly all, men whose
rms of enlistment have expired, and if
ey come into our lines they will go
me, aud not be of service to US any
ore. Your men are enlisted for the war,
d il we release our prisoners to-day
ey will fight US Tomorrow. So you see
e Andersonville prisoners are render
2 us service, although their time is out
d they are prisoners But Col Henry
oiested that they were rapidly dying,
want of food, raiment and medicine,
Itch we did not have to give them.
arner cared nothing for that.
- Every man of sense knows that it
IS the policy of the Confederate Gov.
iment, from the beginning to the lose
the war. to exchange prisoners as
1idly as possible Besides getting a
tx our own men and again putting 7
IN into service, we would get rid of ?
ding Federal soldiers. and thereby
sband our scanty supply Of provisions.
lat earthly interest could it be to US to |,
,p them2 1t required. in addition, q
ge force to guard them, when we
,ded every man at the front There
e, upon Grant and Stanton the whole q
me rests. Respectfully,
n. C. STEVENSON,
Macon, Ga, August rs. 1868" 81
1ccessful experiments. IL is renorted