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Testimony of General U. S. Grant on Treatment of Prisoners

Ulysses S. Grant · 1876

Grant's own 1876 testimony concerning the treatment of prisoners during the Civil War, published in the Southern Historical Society Papers.

Grant's own testimony explaining his wartime decisions about prisoner exchanges as a Union general.

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About this source

What it is

This document records testimony given by Ulysses S. Grant in 1876, published in the Southern Historical Society Papers. It addresses the controversial topic of prisoner exchange and treatment during the Civil War, and includes a wartime telegram Grant sent to General Butler in 1864.

Why it matters

This testimony offers Grant's own explanation of his wartime decisions about prisoner exchanges, a painful and debated issue from the Civil War. It shows how, years later, Grant had to account for decisions that affected the lives of soldiers held in captivity on both sides.

Look closer

  • Why does Grant say that releasing prisoners would be 'hard' on Union soldiers but necessary for 'humanity to those left in the ranks'?
  • What does this testimony suggest about the difficult trade-offs military leaders faced during the war?
  • Why might the Southern Historical Society have been interested in publishing this testimony after the war?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ulysses S Grant on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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