Mr. Seward to Mr.
Stuart.
Department of State,
Washington,
July 1, 1862.
Sir: In acknowledging the receipt of Lord
Lyons’s note of the 12th ultimo, touching the cases of British subjects,
prisoners of war, who may have been forced against their will into the
service of the enemy of the United States, he was informed by this
department that the attention of the Secretary of War had been invited
to the subject. I now have the honor to enclose to you a copy of that
officer’s reply.
I avail myself of this opportunity to offer to you, sir, the assurance of
my high consideration.
F. W. SEWARD, Acting
Secretary.
Hon. William Stuart,
&c., &c., &c.
Mr. Wolcott to Mr. Seward.
War Department,
Washington.
June 28, 1862.
Sir: The Secretary of War directs me to say
that he has had the honor to receive your letter of the 14th
instant, enclosing copy of a note addressed by Lord Lyons to the
State Department, under date of the 12th instant, touching the cases
of British subjects, prisoners of war in this country, who, when
captured by the United States forces, were serving against their
will in the ranks of the rebels, and asking that such cases may be “
inquired into fairly and dealt with leniently,” and to submit to you
the following reply :
The department has no information upon this subject other than that
gathered from the note of Lord Lyons; and as that fails to mention
the name of any British subject supposed to have been captured while
serving against his will in the ranks of the rebels, it is
manifestly out of the power of the department now to take any action
in the premises.
It may be well, however, to acquaint Lord Lyons with the fact that
applications for release and parole, on precisely this ground, are
almost daily made to the department by citizens of the United States
captured from the insurgent ranks and held as prisoners of war; but
the department has uniformly declined to inquire into these cases,
or to deal with them otherwise than with cases in which no such
ground was urged.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. P. WOLCOTT, Assistant Secretary of
War.
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
