terns 
 I? nr>o 
 
 Letter from Bri 
 Conf Pam 12mo #107 
 
Head Quarters, First District, Department Mississippi ) 
 and East Louisiana > 
 
 Tangipahoa, La., July 15, 1862. ) 
 
 TO MAJOR GENERAL BUTLER, 
 
 Commanding United States Forces, 
 
 New Orleans, Louisiana. 
 
 G r x k R a i. : — I have received petitions from Officers of the 1st Re- 
 ginunt Louisiana Partizin Ringer:*, touching the case of Henry Castlf, 
 Jr., n private of company If, of t^at Regiment, and also, an application 
 respecting Tiios. C. rRtfNraoTON, a private of Capt. Wilson Tate's compa- 
 ny, of the same Regiment, and I deem it expedient to request your early 
 consideratinn of the subject. 
 
 It appears that private Castle was captured by a detachment of Federal 
 troop* in the vicinity of H ito 1 II >ug>, on or about the seventh 3f the pre- 
 sent month, and private Pennington, on or about the 28th day of June, — 
 that they were taken to New Orleans, and are held either there, or at one 
 of the Forts in the vicinity, in close confinement, with the threat, that they 
 are to be tried and executed as members of a Military Organization not 
 sanctioned by tha law* of civilized warfare. It is to be observed, that the 
 first great law of nature, the right ofselfdefer.ee, is inherent in communi- 
 ties as well as individual. No law condemns ihe individual who slays the 
 robber or the assassin ; and no just law can condemn a community for 
 using all its power to resist the Invader, and drive him from their soil. 
 The exercise of this right, so universally recognized, becomes an impera- 
 tive duty when the invader, as has been the case with the Federal troops 
 in this district, disregards those rules of warfare recognized and respected 
 by all civilized nations, and adopts that code which lias heretofore been 
 confined to the rudest savages. 
 
 The proof of this, is unfortunately too abundant in the vicinity of Baton 
 Rouge. It is attested by helpless women and children flying from their 
 burning homes ; by the desolation of plantations — by the plunder of private 
 property, and the wanton destruction of growing crops , Such acts are 
 crimes against humanity, and justify all men in taking up arms against 
 their perpetrators. 
 
 The Independence of Nations has rarely been achieved by regular Ar- 
 mies. Our own Revolution — that revolution which successfully established 
 the great principle for which the Confederate States arc now contending, 
 that " all Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the 
 governed, " — was mainly fought out by men who left the plow at the news 
 of the enemy's approach, and returned to it when he had been driven back. 
 It may be conceded that in Europe, where the Governments mainly rely 
 upon large standing armies, which are, as much as possible, disconnected 
 with the people, arid where the policy is to prevent the people from bear- 
 
[2 1 
 
 ing arms, under almost any circumstances, some very absurd refinements 
 on this subject have been asserted, and to some extent tolerated. But 
 
 such doctrines have never been recognized on this Continent, — the United 
 States, especially, has always repudiated them. 
 
 The various Revolutions which have agitated the Central and South 
 American States, have been conducted by the people, frequently without 
 leaders, other than those chosen upon the spur of the occasion, to direct a 
 single enterprise. And, to recur to the Revolution of our Forefathers, the 
 history of that immortal struggle abounds with instances, where the hardy 
 yeomen, as at Lexington anil Bunkers HilL were like the Clansmen of Rod- 
 erick Dim, called by a concerted signal to some " Lanrfek .Mead," and 
 there selected their officers upon the very field ol battle. 
 
 But, whatever difference of opinion may exist on this point, it has never 
 been claimed, even by the most stringent advocates of legitimacy, that one 
 Belligerent has any right to complain of the name or form which the other 
 may choose to give to its military organizations. The right to adapt these 
 to the. peculiar service required, has been-.-universaily conceded. So far, in- 
 deed, has this practice be<m carried in Naval warfare, that piivatecrsmeii, 
 41 the Militia of the Seas," with charters as broad as the Ocean's bounds, 
 are recognized as legitimate among belligerents. And now, indeed, the ex- 
 traordinary spectacle is presented to the contemplation of civilized man, in 
 this boasted Nineteenth century of the Christian world, of a Nation, claim- 
 ing to be civilized, in violation of its constitutional obligations, inaugurat- 
 
 the Anglo-Saxon "icd^^f! "WMfftttrefllto frOITL , , „ , 
 
 This, with the lederanJovermnent, is legitimate warfare; but the de- 
 fei 
 
 military 
 
 Corps of Scouts and Guides in the late East Indian war. are cases in point. 
 The Confederate States claim and have exercised this undoubted right. 
 The formation of Companies, Battalions and Regiments of Bartizan Ran- 
 gers has been specially authorized by an act of Congress. The officers of 
 tliis corps arc commissioned ; the men are regularly mustered into service, 
 receive pay, rations, and equipment from the Government, and are entitled 
 to the same privileges and governed by the same regulations as all other 
 troops in the Confederate service. It is not perceived therefore, what 
 pretext can be offered by the Enemy for subjecting the members of this 
 corps to a different treatment from that extended to other prisoners of 
 war. Certainly no such distinction can be recognized or tolerated by us. 
 The Government having called these men into service, is bound by every 
 obligation of good faith to protect them to the extent of its power ; and if 
 found necesaary for their protection, as well as for that of numerous unar- 
 med citizens who have been subjected to outrages unparallelled in civilized 
 ■warfare, will not hesitate, I feel constrained to declare, to resort to retalia- 
 tion, even to the extent sanctioned by the Jewish law, "an eye for an eye, 
 a tooth for a tooth, and life for life." 
 
 - I await an answer, containing an explicit declaration of the intentions of 
 the United States Government respecting these prisoners. 
 Very Respectfully, 
 
 Your Obedient Servant. 
 
 DANIEL BUGGLES, 
 
 http ://www. arc h i ve . o rg/dBt&i js^ett$rfr<0>mlofii gg ©QOcp a] 
 
 ence of their fircsidcE) lilk^oy p^ve^^fty s Litef^tPi«efS> ^nd Murder ! In 
 Military organizations, the Polish Lancers, French Zouaves, and British 
 
peam&lifc* 
 pH8.5