Station And The Starved Prisoners

Lstely, Mr Chaíles A Dnnn, j i'3,Í!)(ho jonrnnl of whiuh ha is.thej Ivliínf ii-('hii-f, to a statement in my. i noeutly ptiblishod volunro - ■"tfuur' Venís in Soccssia "- fliaï Edwin M. i ■ ■ . m is rosj .oiisi :.lo ior t.iio failure to t'Xfii -ngo Ihe tbousaniis cf piisoüeri" of -.var beid in thé South, ayoided thoquesiion at ssuè, ,iii.] entei'ed into elabórate ! sx-plaifttieu te show that the 2ö numths' detontion in cnpiivity of my confrère, Mr. Albert D. Iïiish'nrdson, and myseff, wft in nc ininnor attributablo to the Secretary of War. Neither of tho errei=pu,dcts of tho Tribune !iis evpr madü uiy oompJant, pri ately tr u!lioly, oí kis long oíptivity; aitd'Iáhould l-.ü dcpply nicr!iric;d trt ÊHippoeö that any ohü would think thnt, ;iter wo had esoaped, we were so ISekinpf in cood scr.se .■id hiünanily as t mfltièffOT or m.ïk.j .nccasations ngains'. offitiera of the G-oVöfft'ment froiu mere perecaèl feéliivg, wiifiu Eena oí' h.-iusaiids of captivos were Wylfiiriu hy sjromatio oruolty in the iiebol piisoua i f the Sruth. Mr. Dan, aa I have naid, doos not undertake to meet the rnain and on!' imfiorrant questlod beynnd the general iind' ii:ü;.JüDtal deolnratiou that not onu of :;11 t!io prisonora in the South could make Mr. Bfnnton reapoueible for the torturos iio suiFered in the South. This is gimph not truo, as all w'no had ao(uaintfince witli (ha administralion of arfairs in Washington during two yoars previotis to thj close of tho war must, 1 should think, have been aware. Mr. Riohardson and myself spent noarly a week in the nntional capital after our escapo, endoavoring to doull that was possiblö for tlie release of tho brave men in. tho hutids of the onerny ; and i'i-crij om we met liere tnld the same story, that, the Secretary of War was the übstacfe in the way of the resumption of the exchangc. Moreover, Gen. Butler, in hin speech : at Loweli, Mass., stated positively that ho liad beefl orderod bv Mr. Stantnn to put forward the n?gro quístion to complicate and prevent the exchange. Col. A. B. Stroight, of Indianapolis, Ind., a ioilow-priaoner with us iu tho Libby, loid Mr. iïichardson, after our return to froedom, tbaf, in an interview betweoü the Secretary and himaelf, the former deckircd the govertiïnent could not ajfhrd to exchange able-bodicd men for skc.eons Otlior officers and civiliaos, whose naines I cannot now remember, have asured mi that he had used to theni the same language, in effect ; and there is no doubt whatover that that was his policy and his diHermination until the olarnors of tho people eompellod him to retiru from bis barbarous position. Every one is aware tha, wlien tho exchange did take place, nol; tho slightest alteration had occurred in the positioi, and that our prisoners might :is well havo been released 12 or 18 month bêióro as nt the resumption of the cartel, which would have xaoed to the Rcpublic at lea tl twelve or fifteen thousand hcroic livcs. Thnt thay were not saved is dua alone to Mr. Edwin 51. Stanton's peculiar poliuy and dogged obstinacy ; .and, as I have rernarkod before, he is unquestionably the digger of the unnamed graves that crowd the vicirdty of every southern prison with historio and nevcr-to bcforgatten horrors. I rcgret the rovival of tbia painful subject, but the gratukous eCFort of Mr. fiiuia to relieve the Seoretary of War from a responsibilily he soems willing to bear, and which morely aa a quesíioa of polioy, independent of all consideration of hiMiianity, rauBt be regarded as of great weight, haa empelled me to vindicate ray.self from the chnrire of making grave statements without due oonsiderat'lOI!. Onco for all, let me declare that I hnve oever found fault with any one bscauae I was detained in prison, for I am well nwaro that that was a matter in whiöh no ono bnt inyelt, und possibly a fovv iViends, cnuld foei any interest ; that rny snle motive fnr irapeaching the Seuretary of War was that the peoplo of the loyal North might hntiw to whoni they were indcbted for the cola blooded and necdless sacrifice of their fathcrs and brothers, thtir husbands and their sons. New York, Aug. 8th, 1865.