Page images
PDF
EPUB

inclose a copy of the order which I had by the commanding officer's directions at my request posted up in the prisons and which I wrote for that purpose.

Also for your examination a copy of a contract under which the commissary stores are supplied.

I will add that at present there is not nor has there been any commissary whatever at the camp to represent the Government. I have ordered one to be appointed. I inclose a copy of the bill of Messrs. Aiken & Emory; you will see the cost of the stoves from it. For the "Farmer's boilers" I shall arrange their account to be presented to you. I inclose (separate package) for your consideration some of the charges forwarded by Major Darr of prisoners arrested in his department. I cannot believe the safety of the country endangered by such individuals and inclose them for your consideration.

In conclusion I have to state that I have rigidly attended to the enforcement of your views so far as I understand them, and trust that my conduct will meet with your approval. I have had constantly to contend with ignorance of the grossest character, with listlessness, lack of energy and a want of appreciation of the importance of the requirements made by you and myself, and I indulge the hope that the discretionary exercise by me of authority will be found to have been the proper course pursued, even if in some cases I have erred.* With the highest respect, I am, your obedient servant, H. M. LAZELLE, Captain, Eighth Infantry, U. S. Army.

WASHINGTON, July 14, 1862.

Major-General DIX:

Some place convenient to Fortress Monroe, as City Point or such other as you may designate, can be fixed for the exchange of prisoners in the East; Vicksburg or some adjacent point for exchange in the West.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

FORT MONROE, July 14, 1862.

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War: An open letter of which the following is a copy has just been received from General Lee:

Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, U. S. Army.

HEADQUARTERS, &C., July 6, 1862.

GENERAL: The Secretary of War of the Confederate States has been informed that you were empowered by the United States Government to arrange for a general exchange of prisoners between the two Governments and I am authorized to appoint a commissioner to meet you for that purpose. I have therefore appointed Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb, with full authority to agree on the part of the Confederate States to a general exchange of prisoners of war. I shall be pleased if you will designate an early day and place to meet General Cobb for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE, Commanding General, C. S. Ármy. JOHN A. DIX,

*None of the inclosures mentioned found.

Major-General.

General DIX:

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, July 14, 1862.

Your telegram inclosing General Lee's letter just received. All the correspondence is ready and will be sent to-day by special messenger. When you receive it you can fix the time. The papers will furnish all necessary instructions. If further directions should be desired they can be given by telegraph.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, July 14, 1862. Major-General DIX, Commanding, &c., Fort Monroe, Va.

GENERAL: The Secretary of War directs me to forward to you in accordance with the request made by your telegram of yesterday the inclosed correspondence between this Department and General Wool and General Wool and the insurgent authorities relative to an exchange of prisoners of war. Part of the papers sent you are the original communications and it is desired that of these you will take special care, and when through with them you will return them to this Department, as also the inclosed copies.t

The correspondence between General Wool and General Huger refers to the "cartel between Great Britain and the United States in 1813." Diligent search has been made among the State papers and the archives of this Department for a cartelt made in that year, but no trace or record of such can be found. There was, however, discovered on file a cartelt between the two countries dated on the 28th day of November, 1812, which it is believed is the only one ever made, de fining the tariff according to which prisoners of war, whether taken on land or on sea, should be exchanged.

This cartel is herewiths sent to you, and as the inclosed is the only known extant copy you will please cause it to be transcribed at once and return the inclosed to the Department. The Secretary further directs me to say that in arranging for an exchange of prisoners you will make no reference whatever to the cartel, but will simply adopt as one of the provisions of the arrangement the tariff of exchange prescribed by its first clause.

In this regard you will be exceedingly careful, as any reference to the cartel might possibly be misconstrued into some sort of recognition of the insurgents.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. P. WOLCOTT, Assistant Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, July 14, 1862.

Maj. Gen. JOHN A. DIX:

If there should be any failure or delay to effect a general exchange I would be very glad to have you arrange the exchange of Col. John R.

* Reference to correspondence between Wool and Huger; see Dix to Stanton, July 13, p. 190.

t Inclosures not found, but see correspondence between Wool and Huger in preceding volumes.

The cartel of 1812 was identical with that of 1813, having been agreed upon November 28, 1812, by the commissioners, but not finally approved until a year afterward. § Omitted here; to be found at p. 303 of Vol. III.

14 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV

Kenly, First Maryland, for Col. C. A. Sugg, Fiftieth Tennessee, if it can possibly be done.

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON:

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

DETROIT, July 14, 1862.

General Halleck, by his assistant adjutant-general, telegraphs that he is authorized by the War Department to release such prisoners as he may deem proper. Is he?

W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, July 14, 1862. Colonel HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners, Detroit: Prisoners may be released upon the order of General Halleck. EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

A. LINCOLN, President:

BERKELEY, VA., July 14, 1862.

Nothing new of interest. Position of enemy's rear-guard unchanged. Varies from six to eight miles from us. Health of troops improving somewhat. Food, forage and medical supplies abundant. Will get quite a large number of our sick and well from the enemy to-day. Have informed General Lee that we are ready to negotiate a general exchange and asked him to appoint some one to meet General Dix. Everything going on very well. I am very anxious to have my old regiments filled up rather than have new ones formed. What of Burnside? G. B. MCCLELLAN, Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
July 14, 1862.

Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN,

Commanding Army of the Potomac. GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant informing me that Maj. Gen. John A. Dix had been invested by your Government with authority to negotiate for a general exchange of all prisoners taken and held or paroled on both sides.

I have the honor to inform you that I have appointed Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill,* C. S. Army, to meet General Dix and arrange with him the terms of a general exchange. General Hill is clothed with full authority to act for this Government in the premises.

I propose that the meeting be held at Shirley, and General Hill will meet General Dix at that place on Wednesday next, the 16th instant. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE, General, Commanding.

*See p. 815 for Lee's order of July 14.

GENERAL ORders, Į

No. 92.

HDQRS. ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI,

July 14, 1862, For the information of all in this command the following explanations are given in reference to the rights and duties of citizens of the States in which we may be stationed:

1. All citizens of the States claiming the rights and holding themselves bound to the duties of citizens of the United States are entitled to the same protection of person and property which we claim for ourselves.

2. We hold citizens to the performance of active duties only when they receive protection. If left without protection they are only bound to good will and abstinence from acts of hostility to the Government.

3. Persons denying that they are citizens of the United States, repu diating the duties of citizens by words or actions, are entitled to no rights save those which the laws of war and humanity accord to their characters. If they claim to belong to a hostile Government they have the rights of belligerents and can neither justly claim nor have any thing more from this army. If they are found making war without lawful organization or commission they are enemies of mankind and have the rights due to pirates and robbers, which it will be a duty to accord them. It is not our purpose to admit the slaves of loyal masters within our lines or use them without compensation, or prevent their recovery when consistent with the interests of the service. The slaves of our enemies may come or go wherever they please, provided they do not interfere with the rules and orders of camp discipline. They deserve more at our hands than their masters. By order of General Rosecrans:

General HALLECK:

W. L. ELLIOTT, Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

Moscow, July 14, 1862.

Yesterday one of our forage trains, guarded by fifty cavalry, was fired on by a party that immediately fled, having killed 1 man and wounded 3 of ours. The attacking party was composed of horsemen, but their dress was not clearly seen in the ambush. I believe they were citizens hastily called together to fire on the train as it was returning loaded, and have sent a strong party to bring in twenty-five of the most prominent of the vicinity, each with a horse, saddle and bridle, whom I wish to send to La Grange and thence under guard to Columbus by to-morrow's train. I am satisfied we have no other remedy for this ambush firing than to hold the neighborhood fully responsible, though the punishment may fall on the wrong parties. The scene of the occurrence was seven miles out, south of Wolf River, and two miles and a half from where I have a regiment on picket. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.

General HALLECK:

Moscow, July 14, 1862.

Colonel McDowell reports from Macon, near Morning Sun, that he will collect the wagons and mules and return to-morrow. I ordered him to look in at Lafayette, not much off his road, to see the regiment stationed there. The cavalry is now out and gathering in the citizens. I am so well satisfied of their complicity that I will hold them prisoners here until they produce the parties who fired on our men, with the

necessary testimony. I had answered Stanton finally, but I have such respect for your superior judgment that I will telegraph Mr. Ewing. who approved my first, and to whose revision and judgment I submit my last. I wish the letter to be withheld from publication. Hurlbut telegraphs an expedition started by my order to Davis' Mills, also a flag of truce from Jackson's cavalry, but has not yet made known the result of either. I have not yet heard of artillery or infantry anywhere in our neighborhood. Travelers from Memphis come through unmolested and yesterday a loaded sutler's wagon came through safe. W. T. SHERMAN,

·Major-General.

HDQRS. MILITARY DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON, D. C.,

July 14, 1862.

General Asa Rogers, of Loudoun County, Va., having been arrested and released from imprisonment in exchange for Turner, a citizen of Fairfax County held in confinement at Richmond, he will not be disturbed in his person or property for any past transactions. [JAMES S. WADSWORTH,] Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION,

Brig. Gen. J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Springfield, July 14, 1862.

Commanding District of Missouri, Saint Louis.

GENERAL: Iinclose herewith copies of a correspondence with Colonel Tracy, who represents himself as commanding troops in the vicinity of Fayetteville. I suppose it is what is known as Rains' command and probably Rains is too drunk to be fit for duty, and the gentleman wanted to figure in a correspondence á la Bombastes Furioso.

Hoping the reply will meet your approval, I am, very truly, your very obedient servant,

E. B. BROWN, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure.]

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI,

[Brig. Gen. E. B. BROWN.]

Camp near Fayetteville, July 10, 1862.

I

GENERAL: This letter will be handed you by Maj. Thomas H. Murray, bearer of flag of truce. It has been represented to me that citizens of Southwest Missouri of Southern opinion are being constantly shot and murdered by soldiers of the United States and by the militia of the Provisional Government of the State of Missouri; that these men are thus inhumanly dealt with because of opinions' sake. desire to know of you, general, if such acts are committed at the sug gestion or within the knowledge of the U. S. officers or State officers over whom they have control. I have been sent here by my Government together with others for active service in Missouri. Before I enter the State I desire to have some positive understanding as to the manner of carrying on the war. If it is the policy of the United States or the Gamble government of Missouri to murder our friends, burn and destroy our homes and turn our women on the charity of the people for subsistence, I desire to know it, and I shall come, however much my feelings may revolt at the idea, with the black flag, asking no

« PreviousContinue »