The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-26
the cartel. TO this attempt fby letter,
no reply was received. He renewed
these efforts on October Goth. 1863, say

1neseH e4AoA % otA aS'SAoOeI <Vli, Aooos Sd
ing: s
SLAVES IN THE ARMY.
now propose that all officers and
men on both sides be released in con-
forlnity with the provisions OF the car.
tel, the excess en- one side or the other
to be on parole. Will you accept this?g
p have no expectation of an answer, but
perhaps You may give one. II it does
come. hope it will be soon Id. p. 4Ol
But nothing was accomplished by either
of these efforts. Some time in November
5cr December, 1863, General B. +. Butter
was appointed the Federal Commissioner
OF Exchange. It will be remembered Elhat
this man had been outlawed by the Con-
federate authorities prior to this t1mc,
and it was openly charged, and generaily
believed, that this appointment was mace
solely to make communication between
the belligerents the more dlfhcult# by EN-
bar.nasing the Confederates, and conse-s
,1uently TO throw this additional obstacle
in the way of further exchange OF prs
OnelS
Ir:meaiately on taking charge General
Butler saws he saw Mr.. Stanton, Secre-s
try of War. and suggested that the Con-
fedcrafe prisoners in their hands should
a, sheltered fed, clad and otherwise
treated as Federal prisoners were being
treated by rs. and this suggestion. he
aays. Mr.. Stanton at once assented to-
(Scc Buffers Book, page $50 In other
words he says, in effect, that because
the Confedcrates in their exhaustion and
poverty. could not adequately supply the
needs of their men in our prisons, there-
fore he and the Federal Secretary OIL
Va: thoushtit right, as an act OF re-
vcnge and retaliation, to withhold these
comforts and supplies from our men ID
their prisons. when they had adequate
ID l1aN n
thnse men, Surely comment on TINS state
ment is unnecessary.
After Mr.. Lincoln's emancipation pro
clamation went into effect, as we nave
@sai.'. on January ]. 1863. the Z edeTais
enrolled a large number of slaves IN tlelr3
armies This greatly embarrassed as
well as exasperated the Confederates.
We have heretofore stated that the Sta-'u
proposed by Mr. Davis, and recommended
by him to the Confederate Congress, was
that the officers Of these colored troops be
turned over to the State authorities where
ever any of them might be captured. to be
tried in the courts of such State for the
crime of iinciting servtle irsurrecaon.
and that Congress refused to sustain MIN
fully in that recommendations. Ihe qnes-.
ten then arose as to exchanging nesf2
prisoners The Federal authorities con-
tended that where slaves were captured
hv tbem. or when they deserted and
came 10 them and enlisted in their +
mics. they thereby became free, and
sho,ld be pla ced on the same footing
with their white soldiers. in respect 10
exchanges. as we'll as IN all other re-
srcc.s The Confederates, on#the con-
trarv. contended that whatever Hight De
tho effect on the status Of he slave by
yoinr to the Federals and enlistinE in
1hei, armies yet should they be RECAP
.1,res by the Confederates. that restored
1he,n 10 their former status as slaves.
md they should then be returned 20
their masters, or put to work by the
5C.onfed crates. and their masters conlpcn-5
stated for their labor. IN those cases
where the master did not reside IN the
#c.onf,deracy or could not be ascertained.
e,,,i. negroes were to be exchanged as
sotter prisoners.
The letter from General Lee to General
Grant stating the Confederate position
On this object, is a masterpiece, Whelher
considered from a legal, historical or
statesmanlil1e point OF view See Sc
riess II. Vol. MI. Serial No 100 page 100
Gen. Grant, in his reply, seeing thai he
could not answer the arguments OF Sen
eral zee. contents himself with saying
on this point:
NOT THE SLAVERY oUEsT1o
II haze nothing to do with the discus
sion OF the slavery question: therefore
decline answering the arguments ad-
duced to show the right to return to tor
rner owners such negroes as are captured
from our army" ID, p. lolS
Rllt 10 return to General Butter. lie
saws he soon learned that the #Confeder-H
ates were anxious to exchange the prls-
oners held by them. and so he proposed
to the Secretary of War 1.-THE plan of SO
exchanging; until we had exhausted all
solir# prisoners held by the rebels, and as
we should then have a surplus or some
10000. TO hold them as hostages for col.
ored troops, of which the Rebels held
only hundreds. and TO retalate on this
surplus such wrongs as the rebels
might perpetrate on our soldiers.
(See Buffers book. p. $50
At first Judge Ould refused to treat
with General Butler at all. but in order
to resume the cartel, which he was anx-
#ious TO do, this position was soon
abandoned; an so on to the 30th of March.
1864. he. by appointment. conferred with
General Butler on the subject of re-
Stunning the exchange. AS the result of
this interview. General Butler wrote the
Secretary of War that, with the eScep-
ton of the question about the exchange
of negroes, call other points of differ
ences We're substantially agreed upon. so
that the exchange might so on readily
and smoothly, man for man. and officer
for officer of equal rank. and officers for
their equivalents in privates. as settled
by the cartel Buffers book, p. 500.
Judge Ould left General Butler on the
S1st. of March, with the understanding
that Butler would confer with his gov
enemies about the points discussed. and
then confer further with him.
I'm the meantime. the exchanges OF
SICK and wounded and special exchanges
were to so on
On the 1st of April, 1864, General U.
S. Grant appeared on the scene. and
General Butler says:
NO -ABLE-S0DIF.D MAN
To him the STATE of tie negotiations
/ as to exchange was communicated and
most emphatic verbal directions were re-
ceived from the Lieutenant-G General. not
to take any steps by which another able-
bodied man should be- exchanged until
further ordoers from him. Buffers book,
p. $50.
And the reason assigned by General
Grant for this course was that the ex-
change of prisoners would SO strengthen