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

[605] languishing in your prisons. Certainly, there could be no doubt that they would do so were that piece of property less in value than five thousand dollars in Confederate money, which is believed to be the price of an able-bodied negro in the insurrectionary States.

Trusting that I may receive such a reply to the questions propounded in this note as will lead to a speedy resumption of the negotiations for a full exchange of all prisoners, and a delivery of them to their respective authorities,

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Benj. F. Butler, Major-General and Commissioner of Exchange.

In case the Confederate authorities should take the same view as General Grant, believing that the exchange of prisoners would “defeat Sherman and imperil the safety of the Armies of the Potomac” and the James , “here,” and therefore should yield to the argument and formally notify me that their slaves captured in our uniform would be exchanged as other soldiers were, and that they were ready to return to us all our prisoners at Andersonville and elsewhere in exchange for theirs, I had determined, with the consent of the lieutenant-general, as a last resort, in order to prevent exchange, to demand that the outlawry against me should be formally reversed and apologized for before I would further negotiate the exchange of prisoners.

My propositions were approved by Lieutenant-General Grant.¹

But the argument was enough and the Confederates never offered to me afterwards to exchange the colored soldiers who had been slaves, held in prison by them.

It may be remarked here that the rebels were ready enough to exchange prisoners at this time, man for man, where we would permit it to be done; because another exchange of a part of the prisoners captured from our navy, held by the Confederates, was arranged with the Secretary of the Navy, who made the agreement outside of our commission by means of our flag of truce boat at Aiken's landing. As will be seen by a telegram,² General Grant readily consented to this particular exchange, as it would not “defeat Sherman” or “imperil our safety here.”