Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[589] that he was then on board of the Confederate States steamer Roanoke and desired an interview upon the subject of exchange.

Deeming this to be an official recognition of the commissioner of exchange of the United States, on behalf of the belligerent authorities at Richmond, and an abnegation of the letter to General Hitchcock, commissioner of exchange, of the date of Dec. 27, 1863, refusing to treat with myself as commissioner of exchange on the part of the United States, I sent Major Mulford with a steamer, to officially inform Mr. Ould that I would confer with him as proposed, and suggested as a matter of comfort to both parties that he should meet me with his assistant at Fortress Monroe. Owing to the darkness and storminess of the weather, he was not able to come down the river until the following day.

Upon meeting, Mr. Ould informed me that most of the soldiers of the United States, in the hands of his authorities, had been sent to Americus, Ga., for the convenience of furnishing them with food, and for the purpose of relieving us from the temptation of continual movements upon Richmond for the purpose of their liberation, and that in further exchange, he would desire to have these prisoners delivered to us at Fort Pulaski in Savannah River, and urged as a reason that it was more desirable to have them come by sea than to suffer the discomfort of a ride of many hundred miles by railroad. From motives of tenderness to the prisoners, and to prevent their being broken down by the journey, I assented that in case the exchange went forward, our government would receive those prisoners at that point, although the expenditure would be much heavier than at City Point; but leaving that question, as well as the one whether the prisoners held by us in the West might not be delivered somewhere on the Mississippi River, and thus save an expensive land transportation, to be adjusted by future conference, after other questions of more moment were settled.

We then proceeded to discuss the points of difference which had arisen in the matter of exchange, and the points reduced themselves to a few, which for more convenience for reference were put on a memorandum. I confess, that excepting the first point, as to persons of color, which I beg leave to discuss last, I can see no reason why an agreement upon all points of difference cannot be arrived at, upon just and equitable terms.

In regard to the paroles, the Confederate commissioner claims nothing, so far as I can see, which he is not willing to concede to us, acting under the cartel, and our general orders, with the exception that I believe on both sides it should be yielded that as well before as subsequently to Order No. 207 of July 3, 1863, paroles should not be accepted by