Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-26

mer owners such negroes as are captured
from our army" Id, p. 1OlS.
! But to return to General Butler. he
SAYS he soon learned that the Confeder-
ates were anxious to exchange the prs
! oners held by tnem, and so he proposed
| to the Secretary of War the plan OF SO
| exchanging until we had exhausted ali
our prisoner held by the rebels, and as
| we should then have a surplus or some
| 10 600 to hold them as hostages for col
ored troops of which the rebels hello
only hundreds, and to retaliate on this
surplus such wrongs as the rebels
might perpetrate on our soldiers (See
| Buffers book, p. 5S5)
| At first Judge Ould refused to treat
viii General Butler at all. but in order
| to resume the cartel. which he was anx-
| ious to do. this position was soon aban-
doned: and so on to the 50th Of March.
| 1864. he, by appointment. conferred with
| General Butler on the subject OF resumlng
the exchange. AS the result of this inter
view, General Butler wrote the Secretary
of War that, with the exception of the
question about the exchange of negroes.
"all other points of differences were sub
stantially agreed upon, so that the eN-
change might go on readily and smoothly,
man for man. officer for officer of equal
rank, and officers FOR their equivalents in
privates, as settled by the cartel" CBut-
lers book. p. 500 Judge Ould left Cen
eral Butler on the 3lst of March, with
the understanding that Butler would con-
fer with his government about the point.
discussed, and then confer further with
him.
In the meantime the exchanges of sick
and wounded and special exchanges were
to so on
On the LIST of April, 1864, General u s.
Grant appeared on the scene, and General
Butler says:
ITO him the state of the negotiations
as to exchange was communicated, anu
most emphatic verbal directions were re-
ceived from the Lieutenant General, not
to take any steps by which another able
bodied man should be exchanged until
further orders from him." Cutters book
p. SD
EXCHANGE WOULD HELP LEE.
And the reason assigned by General
Grant for this course was that the eX-
change of prisoners would so strengthen
General Lees army as to greatly pro
:ong the war; and therefore it was better
hat the prisoners then in confinement
should remain SO no matter what suffer
ings would be entailed thereby. Il said,
sayS General Butler, Il doubted whether
if we stopped exchanging man for man.
simply on the ground that our soldiers
we're more useful to us in rebel prisons
than they would be in our lines, however
true that might be, or speciousy stated
o the country, the proposition could not
be sustained against the clamor that
would at once arise against the admins
tration." ID, p. 5G4. And he adds:
These instructions in the then state
Of negotiations rendered any further ex-
changes impossible and retaliation use
less"
This condition of affairs, for which. as
we have seen, General Grant was solely
esponsible continued with little change
till the latter part Of January, 1865 1t
was during this interval of nearly year
hat the greatest suffering and mortality
occurred. Finally the clamor was SO
great for the renewal of the cartel that
General Grant consented, and from that
date exchanges continued to the end Of
the war. although when large number
of prisoners was sent to General Scho-
field at Wilmington on February q, 1861
ne refused to receive them. Vol. VIII p.
Sc.
On the 10th of January, 1854 in view Of
the number of prisoners then held on
both sides and the suffering con-
sequent upon that fact Judge
Ould addressed letter to Major
afterwards GeneraD Milford proposing
TO deliver all prisoners held by us for an
equivalent held by the Federals But to
the 22d of August he wrote, making the
same offer to General Hitchcock; but re
ceived no reply to this letter either. And
so on the s1st of August. 1854, Judge Guild
published q statement, setting forth in do
all the efforts made by the Confederate
authorities to carry out the cartel in good
faith, saying how it had been violated
rom time to time. and finally suspended,
solcly by the bad faith and bad conduct
Of the FederalS,
On the LIST of October, 1864, General
lee proposed to General Grant to renew
he cartel, but no agreement could be
cached on the subject. and so. ON the
18th of October, 1864. Judge Ould adj
iressed letter to General Milford, and
proposed. in view Of the probability of
he long confinement of the prisoners
IN both sides, that some measures be
adopted for the relief Of such as are
leld by either party. To that end. pro-
pose" says he. that each government
shall have the privlese.,of forwarding
for the use and comfort Of such of its
prisoners as are held by the other ne
articles of food and clothing
Page SEQ
u SLOW IN CONSERVING.
whist this proposition was finally ac-i
cnnted hvs the Eedarals. It took a whole