Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-09
liz PRISONERS TREATED
WITH CONSIDERATION
Gorernor Stuart Gets Copy of Letter
Written by General Bcaurc-
49,, gard in 1875.

Governor Stuart Gets Copy of Letter
Written by General Bcaurc-
gard in 1875.
EANSWER TO CHARGES MADE
Confederate Oficcr Had Heard That
He Was Accused OF Favoring
Execution OF All Prisoners Taken
Under American Flag.
Governor Henry c. Stuart has re-
&feived from a Confederate veteran a
fcopy OF letter written 10 Governor
Uames D. Porter, of Tennessee. in April,
EaS76. by General T. q. Beaurogard. in
(which the letter makes reply 10 Cen
Eeral Frank Sherman who, he had heard,
fobJected to his being invited TO re-
Hinton OF all soldiers and sailors OF
Ethe United States, scheduled TO be held
Fin Chicago. The letter follows:
Es New Orleans, La, April 2S, lN1I
&IDear Sir:
NJ Your favor OF the 18th instant
Has been received. iuclos,ns the form
pf an invitation adopted by general
meeting of the soldiers, sailors and
&cftizens OF Chicago to be sent 10 all
who recognize the American flag as an
{emblem of nationality undivided and
&nndivisible. to attend n grand reunion
4of all the soldiers and sailors OF the
United States. to be held at Chicago
May ~. IS and ii. 1875 and inquirins
HOW much truth there is in the re-
niarks of a certain General Frank Shcr-
man, who objected 10 the invitation
fbe1ng sent to me, as he Was not In ia
|Nor Of extending an invitation to Il
tman who had said lie was in favor
fpf shooting all prisoners taken under
The American flag ] had hoped that
the passions and cnnitics occas stoned
|by the late war were replaced by kind
3Iier feelings, but 1t seems that there
are hearts still rancorous enough to
be ever anxious to stir again into a
Flame the dying embers of the war.
x"In this section of our country such
Exhibitions of luminosity are confined
to those who, during the war We're
furtherest from the enemy. gathering
.up the spells i'll the wake OF the con-
tending armies. Is not this General
Frank Sherman one of those despic-
Fable characters?
STATEs HIS POSITION
AS TO CONDUCT OF WAR
$"Not from any regard for such windy
RECLAMATION. nor for the man mean
enough to sink to such base pandering
ito popular passion, but ont OF respect
to myself and TO that cause whose high
land holy purpose history Will some day
.yindicate. l will very briefly and frank
to the conduct OF the late Civil War,
as copcerned Federal prisoners.
after tho first battle of Manassas.
when it was reported that the Federal
government refused TO recognize Con-
|1ederate prisoners az prisoners OF war,
that Christian hero and able soldier,
|General Thomas j. (Stonewan) Jack
|Son, and myself advocated that the Con-
federate government should then pro-
'claim a war to the knife neither ask
ing nor granting quarters. We moro
over thought that the war would there
by come sooner to an end, with less
Restriction finally. Of life and proper
ty. we thought. also, that such n mode
of warfare would inspire greater ter
ror in the armed invaders or our soil
and reduce greatly the number OF army
Followers, bummers, etc, who are ever
the curse of all armed lnvasions.
H. VSubseQuently, when the F"derals
Ennd penetrated certain portions OF the
|SSouth and developed n system OF war
faro $50 diametrically opposed to the
ono practiced by the Confedcratcs.
when they invaded Maryland and Penn
.sylvanla under their great commander,
General r. II. Lee, and l saw the
emaciated forms and wretchcd con-
ditiol Of our returned Southern pris-
toner's, again advocated the hosting
. of the black flag, willing mt any timo
TO forieit nay life in the deadly strug-
gle.
Tf,;.A HE'D PRISONERS
WITH CONFEDERATION
Notwithstanding these views. | al
ways treated my prisoners with hu-
manity and proper consideration. I
had tho fortune TO take many thou
sands of them at Manassas. Shiloh.
charleston. Drcwrys Bluff, Bermuda
Hundred and Petersburg, most OF
tSyhom are. 1 suppose. still alivo and
Can tnnd certainly wouldD TESTIFY Ia
the fact.
"After the fan. of Hort sumter. in
April, 1861. I granted TO the garrison
the same considerate forms which /
had offered before the attack.
.ss4%"Through my interccssion, tho Fed
sera1 surgeons and ministers OF the
gospel, taken at Manassas were re
LEASED without exchange. by the Con
federate government. The day after
that battle. ono OF the Federal officers
|flwhose friends ! knew IN New York;
applied TO me for a small loan fox
himself and friendN which fur
Finished at once from my private funds
at was faithfully returned.
SHORTY after the battle OF Shiloh
IT. sent under n cartel a certain number
|Sof able-bodied Federal prisoners &C
IGeneral Halleck. who, several weeks
after. returcnd an equal number oil
convalesccnts from St Louis 10 'orr
pillow. The officer in command there
refused to receive them. because sew
seral Of them were Just from a snallpo,
siiospital. General Iallcck failed af-
terward to make good the exchange.
"!At Charleston ! authorized Adm!ra
Dahlgren to send supplies OF cloth.
ing, ETC.. to the prisoners we had takel
from him. Those supplies were scrap
tGulousl; -zaued TO them
b "At Bermuda Hundred, in May, 1864
sswhen passing IN front OF a large bod.
Sof Federal prisoners clio had rnl
lantly defended q position Which con
5sidered Indispensable TO rs. '.toof
soft my hat to them ana thry ANSWERED
|Sfhis salutaIion with cheers.
sIAyORI2D EXEMPTION
or NONCOMHATAN Ts
TERRIBLY as I desired tho effects o.
the war 10 fall on all armed invader:
.Sof our country. wanted exempted
From them the nonco;nbatants. that is
etfle old men, women ana children, anC
Ielc LIZ 1870