From the date of the cartel until July, 1863, the Confederate authorities held the excess of prisoners. During that interval deliveries were made as fast as the Federal Government furnished transportation. Indeed, upon more than one occasion I urged the Federal authorities to send increased means of transportation. As ready as the enemy always has been to bring false accusations against us, it has never been alleged that we failed or neglected to make prompt deliveries of prisoners who were not under charges when we held the excess. On the other hand, during the same time, the cartel was openly and notoriously violated by the Federal authorities. Officers and men were kept in cruel confinement, sometimes in irons, or doomed to cells, without charges or trial.

In July, 1863, the enemy, for the first time since the adoption of the cartel, held an excess of prisoners. As soon as that fact was ascertained, whenever a delivery was made by the Federal authorities they demanded an equal number in return. I endeavored frequently to obtain from the Federal agent of exchange a distinct avowal of the intentions of his Government as to the delivery of prisoners, but in vain. At length, on the 20th of October, 1863, I addressed to Brigadier-General Meredith the following letter, to wit: *

On the 29th of October, 1863, I received from General Meredith a communication informing me that my proposal of the 20th was "not accepted. " I was insultingly told that if the excess of prisoners was delivered they would be wrongfully declared exchanged by me and put in the field. To show how groundless this imputation was it is only necessary for me to state that since then I have repeatedly offered to give ten Federal captives for every Confederate soldier whom the enemy will show to have been wrongfully declared exchanged. From the last-named date until the present time there have bene but few deliveries of prisoners, the enemy in each case demanding a like number in return.

It will be observed that the Confederate authorities only claimed that the provisions of the cartel should be fulfilled. They only asked the enemy to do what without any hesitation they had done during the first year of the operation of the cartel. Seeing a persistent purpose on the part of the Federal Government to violate its own agreement, the Confederate authorities, moved by the suffering of the brave men who are so unjustly held in Northern prisons, determined to abate their fair demand, and accordingly on the 10th of August, 1864, I addressed the following communication to Major John E. Mulford, assistant agent of exchange, in charge of the flag-of-truce boat, which, on the same day, I delivered to him at Varina, on James River. +

I accompanied the delivery of the letter with a statement of the mortality which was hurrying so many Federal prisoners at Andersonville to the grave. On the 20th of the same month, Major Mulford returned with the flag-of-truce steamer, but brought no answer to my letter of the 10th of August. In conversation with him I asked him if he had any reply to make to my communication, and his answer was that he was not authorized to make any. So deep was the solicitude which I felt in the fate of the captives in Northern prisons that I determined to make another effort. In order to obviate any objection which technicality might raise as to the person to whom my communication was addressed, I wrote to Major General E. A. Hitchcock, who is the Federal

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*See Vol. VI, this series, p. 401.

+See p. 578.

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45 R R-SERIES II, VOL VII