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

I said to him further that as commissioner of exchange I was subject to a great deal of animadversion and it was alleged that on account of my proposition prisoners had not been exchanged, and I called his attention to certain newspaper articles in that direction, which he knew were unjust. These attacks had been made because I had tried by retaliation to enforce good treatment of the prisoners, and had opened the exchange (which, when I came to Fortress Monroe, had been closed for some months), by exchanging soldier for soldier and officer for officer, not pressing upon the rebels the question of the exchange of colored soldiers. I then suggested to him that that exchange could not be made without a repeal of the act of the Confederate congress which had adopted the provisions of outlawry of Davis' proclamation against all officers who should serve with colored troops, who were to be turned over for condign punishment. Besides the question would probably have a great influence upon the planters, who were exempt from conscription if they owned twenty or more slaves. These men dreaded exceedingly the effect of our proclamation of emancipation and the enrolment of their slaves in our army, because it induced their slaves to desert, and so brought the planters within the Confederate law of conscription and enrolment. Therefore I felt sure that the treatment of their captured slaves enrolled in our army as prisoners of war, and the recognition of equality with other officers of those commanding colored troops, would be the last requirements for exchange to which the rebels would surrender.

I further said that we could not enforce a new draft during the presidential campaign, however much our armies might be disabled, and therefore we could not abandon to death, or treatment worse than death, our colored soldiers, and as soon as it would be understood we had done so, the enlistment of colored soldiers would substantially cease. It was hard enough now, to get the proper class of officers to take command of colored troops, and it would be still more difficult if they were to be exposed to the threatened action of the Confederacy against them. Therefore, we could not give up the colored troops question in matters of exchange, and we must insist on protecting them and their officers, in the strongest and most effective terms and requirements, enforcing retaliation to the last degree in case the rebels insisted upon carrying out their act of congress upon the proclamation of Davis.