Summary:
James Hamilton writes Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in September, 1864,
concerning his time at Salisbury, North Carolina, where he was held by the
Confederacy as a citizen prisoner. Hamilton, who requests a response at
Chambersburg, claims that he was released after promising to help secure the
release of Confederate citizens held by the Union. In this letter, Hamilton
attempts to act on his promise, and asks the government to secure freedom for
the remaining Pennsylvania citizens held in the South. Hamilton also mentions
the controversial issue of exchanges for African American POW's held by the
Confederacy.
Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:
WASHINGTON,
September 2, 1864.
DEAR SIR: Mr. Culbertson and I were prisoners for thirteen months, held as hostages. Ould alleges that you hold citizens on insufficient or no charges who are not connected with military organizations. He released us because we promised to try to effect the release of Smithson and Reverend Doctor Handy. We were told that you consent to the release of Handy. Ould proposed to release all civilians and capture no more. He proposes to exchange the soldiers, man for man, and hold the excess, and says you might hold hostages for the negro soldiers if they refuse to exchange them. This much I promised to say. Could you not capture and hold as hostages, say, two or three for one, some prominent citizens of Virginia to procure to release of the seven citizens who are remaining in prison at Salisbury, N. C.? West Virginia did so for some of her citizens, and they were sent North. I received some intimations that such a course would prove successful.
The treatment of prisoners is severe; food deficient in quantity and quality. Returned prisoners' accounts of treatment are true, Fulton and Ould to the contrary notwithstanding. Boxes and letters even are not given. I received no letters, nor any one else, for two months previous to my release. The boat that brought me up had boxes on it for rebels in our prisons. Many think that Maj. Mulford is too kind to them and cares less than he should for our men. The Reverend Doctor Moore, who did much to get us away and contributed largely to our comfort during our imprisonment, has two sons in Northern prisons-one, Lieut. J. B. Moore, at Johnson's Island, and the other, Private J. N. Moore, at Elmira. Could you not make a special exchange for these men, or release them? I think that the son (a lieutenant) of Reverend Doctor Breckinridge would be sent on for Lieut. Moore. Would you not grant us permits to visit these men and do something for their comfort as an expression of our gratitude for the kindness of their father? Permit me to thank you cordially for your great kindness in making efforts to secure our release. I fear to occupy too much of your lines; at any rate, I cannot yet write connectedly, having lost much of healthy mental tone through sufferings experienced in prison. We understood that you had issued an order for the release of Reverend Doctor Handy for the release of Mr. Culbertson. I presume that you know all about the fearful mortality at Andersonville, Ga., and the fiendish treatment that causes it. You would confer a great obligation by a reply addressed to me to Chambersburg, Pa.
Your obedient and humble servant,
JAS. HAMILTON.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 2, Volume 7, Serial No. 120, Pages 849-850, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
