Letter
Henry W. Wessells to Benjamin F. Butler, January 4, 1865
OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,
January 4, 1865.
‘ ty Washington, D. C., January 4, 1865. Maj. Gen. B. F. BUTLER, Commissioner for Exchange, Fort Monroe, Va.:
GENERAL: By authority of the Secretary of War I inclose herewith for your information a copy of special orders from this office, authorizing the execution of retaliatory measures in the case of Capt. W. H. Snowden, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers, now held as a prisoner by the rebels, and who it is represented is subjected to treatment set forth in the order. It is respectfully requested that the rebel authorities may be notified of the action taken.
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
$ H. W. WESSELLS,
[Inclosure.]
SPECIAL ORDERS, ) OFFICE COM. GENERAL OF PRISONERS,
No. 2. f Washington, D. C., January 4, 1865.
[Inclosure.]
SPECIAL ORDERS, ) OFFICE COM. GENERAL OF PRISONERS,
No. 2. f Washington, D. C., January 4, 1865.
* * * * * * *
VIII. By authority of the Secretary of War a captain of the rebel
army, a prisoner of war, will be selected and subjected to the same treatment as Capt. W. H. Snowden, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers,
who is said to be held as a hostage for the burning of Letcher's building, treated as a felon, and fed upon bread and water.
VIII. By authority of the Secretary of War a captain of the rebel
army, a prisoner of war, will be selected and subjected to the same treatment as Capt. W. H. Snowden, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers,
who is said to be held as a hostage for the burning of Letcher's building, treated as a felon, and fed upon bread and water.
Editor's Notes
From: Operations in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Indian Territory, 1861–62. Summary: H. W. Wessells informs B. F. Butler of authorized retaliatory measures against a Confederate prisoner mirroring the harsh treatment of Union Captain W. H. Snowden.
Topics
Sources
The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 8
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