The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-09-09

About the last of March, 1864, I had
several conferences with General But
tier at Fortress Monroe in relation to
the difficulties attending the exchange
of prisoners, and we reached what we
both thought a telerably satisfactory
basis. The day that I left theae Gen
eral Grant arrived, General Butler says
he communicated to him the state of
the negotiations, aud "most emphatic
verbal directions were received from
the lieutenant General not to take n
step by which another able. bo1ied man
should be exchanged until further or
ders from him )" and that on April 80,
1864, he received a telegram from
General Grant etc receive all the sick
and wounded the Confederate authar-
tiles may send you. but send no more
in exchange" Unless my reco)lec-
tions fails me, General Butler also, in
an address to his constituents, sub
stantially declared that he was directed,
in his management of the question of
exchange with the Confederate author
tiles, to put the matter Extensively, for
the purpose of preventing an er-
change. The facts which l have stated
are also well known to the officers con-
nected with the Confederate Bureau of
Exchange. At one time I thought an
excellent opportunity was afforded of
bringing some of them to the attention
of the country. / was named by poor
Wirz as a witness in his behalf. The
summons was issued by Chapman, the
Judge Advocate of the military court. /
obeyed the summons, and was in atten-
dance upon the court for some ten days.
The investigation had taken a wide
range as to the conduct of the Con-
federate and Federal Governments in
matter CT the treatment of prisoners,
and 1 tboght the time had come, when
I could put before the world these
humane offers of the Confederate au-
thorities, and the manner in which they
bad been treated. 1 so expressed my
self more than once-perhaps too pub
licly. But it was a vain thought.
Early in the morning of the day Oh
which I expected TO give my testimony.
I received a note from Chapman, the
Judge Advocate, requiring me to sur
render my subpoena. 1 refused. as it
was my protection in Washington
Without it the doors Of the old Capaitol
might have opened and closed upon
me. l engaged, however. to appear
before the court, and I did so the same
evening. I still refused to surrender
my subpoena, and therefore the Judge
Advocate Endorsed on it these words :
"The within subpoena is hereby revok-
ed ; the person named is discharged
from further attendance" I have got
the curious document before me now,
signed with the name of AN. P. Chip
man, Colonel" &c. ] intend to keep
il if I can, as the evidence Of the first
case in any court, Of any sort, where a
witness who was summoned for the de-
tense was dismissed By. the prosecution.
I baistened to depart, confident that
Richmond was a safer place for me
than the Metropolis. Some time ago a
committee was appointed by the House
of Representatives to Investigate the
treatment of Union prisoners in South
ern prisons. After the appointment of
the committee-the Hon. Mr.. Shanks,
of Indiana, being its chaiIman-II
wrote to the Hon. Charles A. Eldridge
and the Hon. Mr.. Mungen (the latter
a member of the committee) some of
the facts herein detailed. Both of
these gentlemen made an effort to ex-
t end the authority of the committee, so
that it might inquire into the treatment
of prisoners North as we'll as South,
and cspe eially that it might inquire
il ~ the truth OF the matters which l
had aiicoed. All these attempts were
by he Radical majority, al
several of the party voted to
the inquiry. As several thou
sand dollars of the money of the P,eenpIe
have been spent by this committee, wiz
not they demand that the investigation
shall be thorough and impartial The
House of Representatives have decEn-
ed the inquiry let the people take it
up.
Re pectfully, your o5't. %serv't.,
o.