pt
steps to disavow this violation of the usages of war, and to
bring the offenders to justice, I shall refrain from executing a
rebel soldier until I learn of your action in the premises,' I
have merely to say that I have in my hands and subject to my
orders, captured in the recent operations in this department,
some four hundred and fifty officers and men of the United States
army, and for every man you hang I will hang ten of the United
States army.

"I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

"J. E. PICKETT,
"_Major-General Commanding_."[113]

As already indicated, some of the Southern journals did not endorse
the extreme hardships and cruelties to which the rebels subjected the
captured Colored men. During the month of July, 1863, quite a number
of Colored soldiers had fallen into the hands of the enemy on Morris
and James islands. The rebels did not only refuse to exchange them as
prisoners of war, but treated them most cruelly.

On this very important subject, in reply to some strictures of the
Charleston "Mercury" (made under _misapprehension_), the Chief of
Staff of General Beauregard addressed to that journal the following
letter:

"HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF S. C., GA., AND FLA., }
"CHARLESTON, S. C., August 12, 1863. }

"Colonel R. B. RHETT, Jr., _Editor of_ 'Mercury':

"In the 'Mercury' of this date you appear to have written under a
misapprehension of the facts connected with the present _status_
of the negroes captured in arms on Morris and James Islands,
which permit me to state as follows:

"The Proclamation of the President, dated December twenty-fourth,
1862, directed that all negro slaves captured in arms should be
at once delivered over to the executive authorities of the
respective States to which they belong, to be dealt with
according to the laws of said States.

"An informal application was made by the State authorities for
the negroes captured in this vicinity; but as none of them, it
appeared, had been slaves of citizens of South Carolina, they
were not turned over to the civil authority, for at the moment
there was no official information at these headquarters of the
Act of Congress by which 'all negroes and mulattoes, who s