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

Accident prevented my meeting the rebel commissioner, so that nothing was done. But after conversation with General Grant I wrote an argument showing our right to our colored soldiers in reply to the proposition of Mr. Ould to exchange all prisoners of war either side held, man for man, officer for officer. This argument set forth our claims in the most offensive form possible yet consistent with ordinary courtesy of language, for the purpose of carrying out the wishes of the lieutenant-general that no prisoners of war should be exchanged, and was published, so as to bring a public pressure by the owners of slaves upon the rebel government to forbid their exchange. Here is the letter:--

Rob. Ould, Esq., C. S. agent of exchange:

In May last I forwarded to you a note, desiring to know whether the Confederate authorities intended to treat colored soldiers of the United States army as prisoners of war. To that inquiry no answer has yet been made. To avoid all possible misapprehension or mistake here-after as to your offer now, will you now say whether you mean by “prisoners held in captivity,” colored men, duly enrolled and mustered into the service of the United States, who have been captured by the Confederate forces; and if your authorities are willing to exchange all soldiers so mustered into the United States army, whether colored or otherwise, and the officers commanding them, man for man, officer for officer?

At an interview which was held between yourself and the agent of exchange on the part of the United States at Fortress Monroe in March last, you will do me the favor to remember the principal discussion turned upon this very point; you, on behalf of the Confederate government, claiming the right to hold all negroes who had heretofore been slaves and not emancipated by their masters, enrolled and mustered into the service of the United States when captured by your forces, not as prisoners of war, but upon capture to be turned over to their supposed masters or claimants, whoever they might be, to be held by them as slaves.

By the advertisements in your newspapers calling upon masters to come forward and claim these men so captured, I suppose that your authorities still adhere to that claim. That is to say, that whenever a colored soldier of the United States is captured by you, upon whom any claim can be made by any person residing within the States now in insurrection, such soldier is not to be treated as a prisoner of war, but is to be turned over to his supposed owner or claimant, and put at such labor or