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REPORT OF THE AGENT OF EXCHANGE.
Richmond, Va., Nov. 18, 1864.
Hon. James A. Seddon,
Secretary of War :
Sir : In the matter of the accompanying resolution of the House
of Representatives, I have the honor to make the following report:
On the 1st of November, 1864, in my report detailing the
operations of the Exchange Bureau, I used the following language
in relation to special exchanges, to wit:
 An error respecting special exchanges seems to prevail, both
amongst our people and captive soldiers. The Federal authorities,
with a malignity congenial to them, in the hope of causing irritation
on the part of our prisoners towards their Government, have basely
and falsely represented to them that special exchanges are being
constantly proposed by us. A long time ago I communicated to you
the many grave objections to any such system. My views met your
entire approval, and I have, accordingly, constantly refrained from
making special exchanges, though frequently urged to do so. The
officers and soldiers delivered to us were in all cases selected by the
enemy, and those of theirs who were sent in return were designated
by us. This was not a system of special exchange in any sense of
the term. If the officers and soldiers sent to us had been specially
asked for, or if their ret urn had been caused by any special action of
the Confederate authorities in their individual cases, there would have
been ground for the belief that special exchanges were being made.
The efforts of the Government have been directed to the release of
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all our prisoners without any discrimination in favor of particular
persons. To have pursued any other plan would not only have
showed partiality and favoritism where all have tried to do their
duty faithfully, but would have given to the enemy the opportunity
©f making selections^ from their own prisoners in our hands to
such an extent as would have precluded all hope of a general ex-
change. With very rare exceptions, I have never known what
officers or men were on the flag of truce boat until 1 visited it. Under
your instructions, all of our prisoners have been considered as occu-
pying the same position, and each one on his return has been
received with as much welcome as any other. I repeat, therefore,
that no special efforts have been used to secure the release or
exchange of particular persons, and every line of policy which would
put any one of our prisoners in a more favorable position than that
occupied by the others, has been carefully avoided. The published
correspondence of this office shows the entire readiness of our Gov-
crnment to return an equivalent for any Confederate officer or sol-
dier sent within our lines. Who that equivalent shall be, we have
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reserved tlic right to determine, and when the selection is made and
the party delivered to the Federal authorities, it is simply the return
of an equivalent and not a special exchange. To refuse to return
the equivalent, would be to doom our officer or soldier to hopeless
captivity after liberty had dawned upon him.
In addition to the foregoing, I beg leave to state that I have been
frequently importuned to procure the release of particular individuals
amongst our prisoners at the North, by proposing to the enemy their
exchange for any persons of their rank who might be designated by
them. I have refused to do so in any case, for two good reasons.
First, it made a discrimination amongst our prisoners. The enemy
holding an excess of officers, such a rule, even if all the Federal offi>
cers in our possession had been sent North, would have left a large
number of our people in prison. Those who were not selected, and
their friends at home, would have had just cause of complaint against
their Government for thus leaving them in the hands of the enemy,,
while others, with no better claims, had been selected for restoration
to liberty. Secondly, such a proceeding would have enabled the
enemy, in a very short time, to secure the release of such parties as
they were anxious to relieve from captivity, and for whom strenuous
efforts had been made by influential friends. If the enemy in this
way had secured the release of some two or three hundred of their
people, they would have cared very little about the fate of the others,
and thus a general exchange would have been made hopeless.
For the same reasons, I have constantly refused to send Federal
prisoners North on their parole to secure the release of specially
named parties. I have, in some cases, even refused to recognize the
special paroles of some Confederate officers who were sent home to
secure the release of some particular Federal prisoner. In one case
the Confederate officer was sent back into captivity. In others I
have refused to send the designated Federal officer, and given some
other equivalent. The Federal authorities perceiving our resolution
in this respect, have for some time past refrained from giving such
paroles.
Whilst I have ignored special exchanges, I have taken every means
in my power to notify our prisoners at the North that we were not
only anxious for their release, but were ready at all times to give an
equivalent for any officer or soldier delivered to us, and at the time
of his delivery. The only exceptions that I am aware of to tha
course herein indicated, have been the cases of the exchange of Brig-
adier General Kemper for Brigadier General Graham, in September,
1863, and Major Thomas D. Annesy for Major E. Goff, some three
months ago. The first was proposed by the enemy and accepted because
it convicted the Federal Secretary cf War, before his own people, of
gross falsehood, and in the other case the parties had been respectively
placed in close confinement and in irons, one in retaliation for the
other. Brigadier General Kemper was captured in July, 1863, and
Major Arroesy early in 1863. I further state that in cases of retalia-
tion, where parties on both sides have been placed in close confine-
ment or in irons, I have offered to make an exchange one for the other.
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It was on this principle that Major Arm cay was exchanged for Major
€rorT. I trust the exception of this class of cases from the general
.sale will find its excuse in the release from torture of those true and
faithful men, who have served their country so well as to call down
the special vengeance of our foe.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
RO. OULD,
Agmt of ExtcAmg*.
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