University of Virginia Library

NOTE E.

The Flag of Truce and Exchange of Prisoners.

On the 21st July, the enemy's fire ceasing and a flag of truce appearing,
Captain Tracy, A. D. C., was sent to meet it. After a short interview the
flags separated, and, before either party had reached their lines, the fleet
opened on the fort. Captain Tracy had to proceed a distance of two
hundred yards along the exposed beach across which every projectile fired
at Wagner from the fleet passed at the height of a man, they firing low to
ricochet. Captain Tracy providentially reached the fort without being
harmed and delivered a communication from General Gilmore requesting
a personal interview between the officer commanding Wagner and General
Vogdes commanding in the trenches. He also said the next afternoon
had been suggested for the interview. The commander of Wagner, deeming
the fire of the fleet an accident, and that it would every moment cease,
did not at first permit his guns to reply. But the enemy's land batteries
soon took it up; Wagner responded and the bombardment went on.

On the 22nd, at the hour suggested, the enemy's flag reappeared, and,
as stated by General Beauregard, the interview was refused until the
breach of truce was explained. The excuse as remembered was some misunderstanding
between the naval and land commanders, and the fire could
not be immediately stopped on account of General Gilmore's absence on
Folley Island, and General Vogdes had no authority or perhaps means of
communicating with the fleet. It was a lame excuse for the outrage, as
far as the navy was concerned, for the whole interview had been on the
open beach, in sight of the whole fleet, and Tracy was perfectly visible to
every gunner as he returned with his flag in his hand. The explanation
was, however, accepted with the profuse apologies tendered and the interview
accorded.

General Vogdes stated his mission to be to ask for Colonel Putnam's
body and to return to us Lieutenant Bee's with the sword of the latter.
He had with him poor Bee's body for delivery. His request was complied
with, and he then verbally proposed an exchange of prisoners, mentioning
that they had but few of ours, all except those recently captured having
been sent North, that "as we had the excess, of course, we could select
whom to exchange," whilst intimating that a mutural exchange without
regard to excess would be agreeable. Pending the interview, General
Hagood received a dispatch from Ripley's headquarters in Charleston,
where the interview and its objects were known, directing him to agree to
an exchange of wounded prisoners without regard to excess on our side,
except the negro prisoners; not to introduce them into the negotiations,
but, if introduced by General Vogdes, to refuse, as they would not be given
up; and that it was desirable on the score of humanity to get rid of the
numerous white prisoners wounded in our hands, and for whom no
adequate accommodation existed in our hospitals. The contents of the
dispatch is given in substance and was not communicated to Vogdes. He
carefully avoided any direct mention of negro prisoners, and his remark

quoted above, that having the excess we could choose whom to exchange,
etc., was in allusion to them, and all that was made. The Confederate
proclamation outlawing negro troops and white officers commanding them
was well known to the enemy; and, anxious to effect the exchange, it was
apparent that the Federal party did not desire to complicate matters. It
was observed that neither General Vogdes nor either of the three or four
officers accompanying him enquired after Shaw, the colonel of the negro
regiment engaged in the recent assault, although they asked after everybody
else, and we subsequently learned by their newspapers that they did
not then know whether he was killed or captured.

The negotiation was arranged, all in parol, by accepting the basis proposed
by General Vogdes—the line to be the following Friday, at 10 a. m.,
and the place the point in the outer harbor from which the fleet generally
conducted the attack on Wagner.

The exchange took place, and General Gilmore afterward accused
Beauregard of bad faith in not sending the negro prisoners for delivery.

The foregoing narrative is believed to be perfectly correct.