Library of Congress Subject Headings, 21st edition, 1998

LC Subject Headings:

• Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893.
• McNeil, John, 1813-1891.
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Participation, African Americans.
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Atrocities.

• 1999-07-27,
  Celine Noel and Wanda Gunther
  revised TEIHeader and created catalog record for the electronic edition.
  
  
• 1999-06-15,
  Natalia Smith, project manager,
  finished TEI-conformant encoding and final proofing.
  
  
• 1999-06-08,
  Patricia L. Walker
  finished TEI/SGML encoding
  
  
• 1999-05-26,
  Laura Button
  finished scanning (OCR) and proofing.
  
  

[House, No. 24]

        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.--January 13, 1863. Read first and second times, laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.

[By Mr. VEST.]

RESOLUTIONS
Endorsing the recent proclamation and order of the President on the
subject of retaliation.

        1 WHEREAS, The President of the Confederate States did, upon
2 December 23d, 1862, issue his proclamation, declaring Benjamin
3 F. Butler to be a felon, deserving of capital punishment, and
4 ordering that he be no longer considered or treated simply as an
5 enemy of the Confederate States, but as an outlaw and common
6 enemy of mankind; that in the event of his capture, the officers
7 in command of the capturing force do cause him to be immediately
8 executed by hanging, and that no commissioned officer of
9 the United States taken captive, shall be released on parole before
10 exchange, until the said Butler shall have met with due punishment
11 for his crimes, and further ordering that all commissioned

12 officers in the command of said Benjamin F. Butler be declared
13 not entitled to be considered as soldiers engaged in honorable
14 warfare, but as robbers and criminals deserving death, and that
15 they and each of them be, whenever captured, reserved for execution;
16 that all negro slaves captured in arms, be at once delivered
17 over to the Executive authorities of the respective States to which
18 they belong, to be dealt with according to the laws of said States,
19 and that the like orders be executed in all cases with respect to
20 all commissioned officers of the United States when found serving
21 in company with armed slaves in insurrection against the authorities
22 of the different States of this Confederacy.

        23 And whereas, the President did on the day of December,
24 1862, issue an order to Lieutenant General T. H. Holmes, directing
25 him to demand by flag of truce from the authorities of the
26 United States, the body of one John McNeil, a Brigadier General
27 in the service of the enemy, who had ordered the murder of
28 ten unarmed citizens of the State of Missouri, prisoners in his
29 possession, and that, in the event of said demand not being
30 complied with, within twenty days after the same being made, the
31 said Lieutenant General should cause the first ten commissioned
32 officers belonging to the Federal forces, who might fall into his

33 hands, to be immediately executed without regard to rank;
34 Therefore,

        1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives, That the
2 foregoing proclamation and order of the President have our full
3 approbation, and that Congress will at all times co-operate with
4 the Executive, when requested, in any retaliatory measures which
5 may be deemed necessary to prevent the atrocities of the enemy,
6 and force them to conduct hostilities in accordance with the rules
7 and usages of civilized warfare.