The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-03-03

to exchange, preferring to let its men rot in
prison to yielding up the rebels it held. This
is so utterly false rs to be absurd.
Our Government made ovcrtsre after over
ture for exchange TO the rebels, and offered to
yield many of the points of difference. BUTT
could not, with the least consideration for it's
own honor, yield up the negro soldiers and
their officers to the unrestraiBed brutality of
the rebel authorities, nor could it, consistent
with military prudence, parole the 100, 900
weIl-fed, well-c'othed, able-bodied rebels held
by it as prisoners, and let them appear inside
OF n week i'll front of Grant or Sherman.
Until it would agree TO do this the rebels
would not agree to exchange and the only
motive-Save revenge-which could have in
spired the rebel maltreatment of the prison
ers, was the expectation of raising such
ciam0r in the North as would force the
Government to consent to disadvantageou5
exchange, and to give back to the Confederacy,
at its most critical period, 100, 900 fresh, able
bodied soldiers.
1t was for this purpose, probably, that our
Government and the Sanitary Commission
were refused all permission to send us food
and clothing For my part, and | know 1
echo the feelings of 90 ont Of every 100 of my
comrades, would rather have staid In prison
till rotted, than that our Government should
have yielded to the degrading demands of
inSOlent rebels.
There is one document in the possession of
the Government which seems to me to be un-
answerable proof, both of the settled policy of
the Richmond Government towards the Union
prisoners, and of the relative merits OF North
ern and Southern treatment of captiyes. The
document Is letter reading as follows:
CITY POINT, VA, March II, 1853.
10 ~,ffr Eoa hoe md n
$50 political prisoners Gen. Barlow and sew
eral other prominent men among them.
wish you to send he on four o clock We'd
nesday morning, all the military prisoners
except officers, and all the political prisoners
you have. If any OF the political prisoners
! have on hand proof enough to convict them Of
being spies, or of having committed other
ohenses whica should subject them to punish
ment, so state opposite their names. Also,
{ state whether yOu think, under all the cir
| cumstances they should be released. The ar
rangement | have made works largely In orr
favor. We get rid Of set of miserable
wretches, and receive some of the best ma
terial / ever saw.
| Tell Capt. Turner to put down on the list
! of political prisoners the names of Edward
| p. Eggling and Eugenia HaDmsrmister. The
President is anxiOus that they should get
off They are here now This, of course, is
between ourselves. If you have any eoltti-
cal prisoners whom you can send Oft safely
to keep her company, l would like you to
| send her.
Two hundred and odd more political pris-
oners are on their way
! | would be more full in my communication
if had time. Yours truly.
ROBERT GUILD,
Commissioner Of Exchange.
To Bryce JOHN III. WINDER.
But, surprising that our Government for
good military reasons, Or no reason ut all,
declined to exchange prisoners; what possible
| excuse is that for sauShtering them by ex
quisite tortures? Every Government has an
unquestioned right to decline exchanging
when its military policy suggests such
course and such declination conveys no
right whatever to the enemy to Stay those
prisoners either outright with the edge of
the swerd, or more slowly by inhuman treat
ment:
The rebels attempts to justify their con-
| duct by the claim that our Government re-
fused to accede to their wishes in certain
| respect. is too preposterous to be made or
| listened to by intelligent men.
The whole affair is simply inexcusable, and
stands out a foul blot on the memory of every
rebel in high place in the Confederate Gov
| eminent.
vengeance is mine,n saith the Lord, and
| by Him must this great crime be avenged, If
| it ever is avenged. 1t certainly transcends all
| human power. have seen little indication of
| any Divine interpOsition to mete out, at least
on this earth, adequate punishment to those
who were the principal agents In that iniquity.
| Howell Cobb died as peacefully in his bed as
any Christian in the land, and with as few
| apparent twinges of remorse as If he had
| spent his life in good deeds and prayer. The
| arch-fiend Winder died in equal tranquility,
murmuring some cheerful hope as to his souls
| future. Not one of the ghosts of the hunger
slain lowered around to embitter his dying
moments as he had theirs.
The rest of the leading conspirators have
either departed this life in the odor of sanctity,
surrounded by sorrowing friends, Or are Gid
| ing serenely down the mellow autumnal vale
of benign old age.
Only Wirz-small, insignificant, miserable
Wirz, the underling, the tool, the servile,
brainless. little fletcher and-carrier of these
men, was punished-was hanged, and upon
the narrow shoulders of this pitiful scapegoat
was packed the entire sin OF Jefferson Davis
and his crew. What farce!
A petty little Captain made to expiate
the crimes of Generals, Cabinet officers, and
President How absurd!
But do not ask for vengeance. l do not
ask for retribution for one of those thousands
of dead comrades, the glitter of whose sight