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

[614] the reason of the absence was ascertained. The poor fellow had lost his way. He came into camp a couple of hours later, and was joyfully hailed by his comrades. The other was when it became necessary to change the regiment guarding them for one of colored troops. A number of ill-advised men made public declarations that they would not be guarded by negroes, and one night when they should have retired at taps a noisy demonstration was made. That was officially stopped in the most effective manner.

I had twenty-five hundred Confederate officers, more or less. They occupied the buildings erected for hospitals, as we had very few sick prisoners, and very large provisions had been made for hospital purposes. I never received any complaint from them. Many of them, I trust, are alive and well With them there was never any disturbance but this once. The colored sergeant in charge directed an officer to retire to his quarters after taps, according to the regulations, and that respectful order was greeted with “Get out, you d — d nigger; why do you speak to a gentleman?” and the officer jumped upon the sergeant, who at once used his revolver very effectively. That being reported to me, I ordered an investigation by a commission composed of five officers, two of whom were prisoners, and upon their unanimous report I sustained the sergeant and ordered any other to shoot under like circumstances.

I can give no further personal testimony as to the treatment of the prisoners of war held by us.

Very much complaint and very strong animadversion has been made, and to the unthinking with apparent reason, against our medical officers that they treated the sick and wounded prisoners of war less carefully than they treated our own wounded and sick men, and the official returns of the number of men who died from operations because of the same class of wounds and of sickness from the same diseases, show that the mortality of the rebel prisoners exceeded, in very considerable number, that of our own troops having the same class of afflictions. They were all treated in the same hospitals, when possible, which gives a seeming ground for this complaint.

Indeed, Mr. Davis makes it quite savagely. It ought to be supported by very substantial and conclusive evidence, before being believed by any just, right-minded man, for it is the gravest possible