Officer prisoner exchange. Why?

[ole]

For our newer members, a parole is a promise to not engage in hostilities until exchanged. Exchanged meaning being swapped for another from the other side. If you were captured and gave your parole, you were not to pick up your weapon until another was released in exchange for you. Then you could both pick up your weapons and rejoin the fight.

"Parole" originally meant go home until you were "exchanged." As the war wore on, parolees often disappeared into the woods where exchange didn't reach. Can't exchange me for you when I can't be found.

 

[AUG]

I know that in some instances only the enlisted men were allowed parole while officers were all sent to POW camps. For instance after the surrender of Port Hudson Nathaniel P. Banks allowed all the enlisted men to be paroled home with transport for sick and wounded, but most of the officers were imprisoned at Memphis, New Orleans, and Johnson's Island in Ohio. Though since the surrender terms were not within the parole conditions at that time the paroled enlisted men were furloughed and eventually returned to duty.

 

[Elennsar]

I know that in some instances only the enlisted men were allowed parole while officers were all sent to POW camps. For instance after the surrender of Port Hudson Nathaniel P. Banks allowed all the enlisted men to be paroled home with transport for sick and wounded, but most of the officers were imprisoned at Memphis, New Orleans, and Johnson's Island in Ohio. Though since the surrender terms were not within the parole conditions at that time the paroled enlisted men were furloughed and eventually returned to duty.

Do you know if that was a general policy (of Banks and/or the time in question), or a specific condition of surrender, or?

 

[AUG]

Do you know if that was a general policy (of Banks and/or the time in question), or a specific condition of surrender, or?

I think it was part of the condition or terms of surrender created by Banks in this particular situation. I am not sure if it was "general policy," though it doesn't seem to have been, seeing that the Confederate enlisted men were eventually just furloughed because Bank's surrender terms did not match the conditions for that particular time.