The National tribune., 1908-01-23

be held as prSpners of war.
i The deternS SHation of the Confeder
ate Government to regain possession
of all their naen who had been cap
tured. and use them again in the field
was infiexible, and they repelled ever
urgent appeal from our side to exchang
man for man. May 2. 1864, Rober
OuId. the Confederate Commissioner G
Exchange, reported to the Confederat
Secretary Of War:
For more than year after tn
adoption of thN cartel we held an ex
cess of Prison ~. During the whole Q
that time we WSot only delivered then
to the fullest capacity of the true
boats, but frequently urged the Fedora
authorities TO forward greater facili
ties for their removal. Just so soon
however, as the Federals acquired al
excess they insisted that deliverie
should be partial or special, officer TO
officer and man for man. From th
beginning 1 protested against any sucl
system, and vainly appealed to the
provision of the cartel, which required
the delivery of all prisoners of wa
within 10 days, when it was practica
ble."
The Southerners vainly attempt tc
put the odium of the stoppage of the
exchange upon Gen. Grant, saying thai
he said that it was impolitic to exchange
the strong, healthy Confederates from
the Northern prisons for the broken
down men that the Confederates de-
Hvered. This is absolutely untrue and
unWarranted by facts from the record
as from the very first Gen. Grant, as is
shown by repeated letters and orders
to Gen. Butler, stood ready to exchange
man for man-that is, give the able
bodied COnfederates from the Northern
prisons for the broken-down victims of
Andersonville, etc.-but he refused to
parole the excess, in which he was en-
ence that these men would be at once
put in the field against him or Sher-
man. AS to the respective conditions
of the prisoners delivered from each
side, a letter from Col Ould, captured
with the other Confederate papers at
Richmond, speaks most eloquentIy. He
says:
CITY Point, Va, March /, 1853
Sir: flag of truce boat has ar
rived with $50 political prisoners, Gen.
Barrow and several other prominent
men among them. I wish you to send
me at 4 o'clock Wednesday morning all
the military prisoners Except officers)
and all the political prisoners you have
Ii any of the political prisoners have
On hand proof enough to convict them
of being spies or having committed
other offenses which should subject
them to punishment so state opposite
their names. Also state whether you
think, under all the circumstances they
should be released. The arrangement
have made works largely in our favor.
We get rid OF set of miserable
and receive some of the best
ever, saw. Tell Capt. Turner
to put down on the list the names of
G.. Eggling and Eugenia Ham,
The President is anxious
they should get off. They are here
now. c4
This, of course, is between our
selves. If you have any female whom
you can send off safely to keep her
I should like you to send her.
rwo hundred and odd political pris-
more full in my communication if I
had time. .c, a..
yours truly t.~e f...
Robert Ould, Agent of Exchange.
Brig Gen. 1Winder.'
The Committee of Investigation, in
is report to Congress, makes this ter
rible indictment of the policy of the
Government:
mo less certain is it upon the
strength of the evidence contained in
his report that the Confederate Gov
tu-if Taff ct ,t,
head, early entered deliberately into
he scheme of using the prisoners in it's
lands for the purpose of coercing the
Of the United States to rec
'gnize their political and territorial ex-
stence as a Nation, or, as it is ex-
PRESSED in the rebel records, from mo-
ives Of State policy or international
aw and military control 1t will be
cen that they attempted to compel the
rider to prevent the fearful and con-
inued sufferings of their officers, |
ailors. and soldiers. inflicted in viola
ion of the rules of civilized warfare, !
Inder the demands of public opinion
goniZed by the recital of these afro
tiles, to yield this great concession to |
he rebel power in arms. How this |
tempt was pressed, with what adroit- |
less and pertinacity 1t was pursued by
he agent of the Confederate authori- |
les having Immediate charge of the |
Exchanges, and who was kept constant |
y in Office and at his post for the last |
hree years of the war, these pages will
isclose in the language of the rebel
rchives; and with what calm, obdu-
ate, cool, and unreienting cruelty |
Robert Ould pursued his terrible mis-
ion of forcing our Government to this
acknowledgement, by opposing and
affling the efforts of the Government
nd its Commissioners of Exchange in
heir attempts to ameliorate the condi-
ION of our prisoners in rebel hands the
oufitry will now comprehend in all it's
while the civilized world will
e enabled, in the light of this hitherto
nwritten history, to find full excul-
alton of our Government and it's army
nd navy from the charges of cruelty
rising out of the question of ex-
hanges, with which the public mind
as been filled by the rebels and their
Connecticut is at last about to do
onor to her greatest representative
the civil war. A bill is before the
legislature to appropriate money to
rect an equestrian statue at Gettys-
urg of Gen. Sedgwick. Gen. Sedg-
ick's remains are buried at Cornwall
.ollow, Conn, where every Memorial
ay mis- grave is decorated by the sur
vors of the glorious old Sixth Corps,
lany of whom come from quite dis
lnce to nav this honor to their old