We wish to be discharged by taking any oath that the Department may require. We send this to you and wish you to read and lay it before the War Department, and if you can do us any good we will be under all obligations to you. We subscribe ourselves, your obedient friends, CALVIN GARRETT. I know a number of the above statements to be true, and have no doubt of any, for such were common in East Tennessee. J. S. LAMB. FORT MONROE, July 4, 1862. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War: We Five hundred and thirty-three prisoners have just arrived, among them several colonels and majors. Where shall I send them? have no room here. They are waiting on board transport. JOHN A. DIX, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS, Fort Monroe, Va., July 4, 1862. Lieut. C. D. MEHAFFEY, First Infantry, Aide-de-Camp to General Porter, &c. SIR: Pursuant to instructions received from the War Department dated July 4, 1862, a copy of which is herein inclosed, you will proceed with the prisoners of war and their present guard to Fort Columbus, New York Harbor, delivering the said prisoners to the commanding officer thereof. This done you will return without delay with the guard to the headquarters Army of the Potomac. The quartermaster's department will furnish the necessary transportation. By command of Major-General Dix: D. T. VAN BUREN, Assistant Adjutant-General. [Inclosure.] WASHINGTON, July 4, 1862. Major-General DIX: Send the 533 prisoners to Colonel Loomis, commanding Fort Columbus, New York Harbor. L. THOMAS, FORT HAMILTON, N. Y., July 4, 1862. The PRESIDENT, Commander-in-Chief of the Army: On this day the anniversary of the Nation's Independence I find myself a prisoner under the folds of the flag of the Union, the same flag under which I have passed my life in the service of the country., Last year on this anniversary my face was fanned by the rush of rebel bullets, and the brave troops under my command drove rebellion from ten miles of the length of the Potomac, freeing thousands of loyal citizens from the yoke of that rebellion. I am utterly unconscious of any act, word or design of mine which should make me to-day less eligible to an honorable place among the soldiers of the Union than I was on that day, or any other day of my past life, and I deem it my duty to state this now when the country seems to need the services of its every willing soldier. Very respectfully, I am, Your Excellency's most obedient servant, Brigadier-General. SENATOBIA, MISS., July 4, 1862. Maj. Gen. U. S. GRANT, U. S. Army, Memphis, Tenn. GENERAL: I send this letter by George Allen, a private of Company B, Twenty-fourth Indiana Volunteers, U. S. Army, who was picked up by one of my Missourians near the Mississippi River on Tuesday last. I have paroled him until exchanged and hope you will send some one of our men for him, and believe that even if you pick out the poorest in the lot that I will cheat you in the trade. We have neither whisky nor ice to have a very gay celebration to-day, neither have we powder to waste, but the news from Richmond makes us jovial enough. Yours, most respectfully, M. JEFF. THOMPSON, Brigadier-General, Missouri State Guard, on Special Service OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, General W. W. TREADWAY, Detroit, July 4, 1862. Quartermaster-General of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. GENERAL: I have referred your proposition to sell certain cottonade clothing to the United States for the use of prisoners of war to the Quartermaster-General who informs me that the department has now on hand an ample supply of clothing only fit to be issued to prisoners and he declines purchasing. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. Col. J. B. FRY, Chief of Staff. HUNTSVILLE, ALA., July 4, 1862. COLONEL: I inclose herewith two letters received yesterday from Brigadier-General Cox which place me in an embarrassing situation. Their contents will inform you of the manner in which the difficulty occurred. I therefore submit the whole matter to you for advice, requesting only that I may be relieved from duty and permitted to visit the city of Washington to facilitate my exchange. I would thank General Buell very kindly for a letter to the War Department in my behalf. Please do me the favor to consider this matter as early as possible. Respectfully, yours, JESSE S. NORTON, Colonel, Commanding Twenty-first Ohio Infantry. [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE OHIO, July 4, 1862. The reply of General Cox to General Wise seems to have broken off the arrangement for the exchange of Colonel Norton, leaving him still a prisoner of war. I have therefore relieved him from duty and now refer the case to such authority as may be proper to dispose of it. He is an officer of merit and is anxious for an exchange, which I hope will be sanctioned. Respectfully, [Inclosure.] D. C. BUELL, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE KANAWHA, Col. J. S. NORTON, Twenty-first Ohio. MY DEAR SIR: I yesterday received a letter from Col. George S. Patton, Twenty-second Virginia Regiment of the rebel army, which to my great surprise claims that your exchange never was perfected. He asserts that in March last he was exchanged for Colonel Lee, Colonel Cogswell or Colonel Wood, of our Army, which of the three he is not certain. The other particulars of his claim in this matter you will find stated in a letter from myself to General Thomas, of which I inclose a copy. I have written to the Adjutant-General in order to have the matter promptly corrected if Colonel Patton is right in his statement, as otherwise it might cause you trouble should the chances of war ever put you in the rebels' power; and besides this I know your own sense of honor would make you very desirous to leave no possible question on the subject. Assuring you that I remember our brief acquaintance with great pleasure, and hoping for a renewal of it at some future day, I remain, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Brigadier-General, Commanding. [Sub-inclosure.] HDQRS. DISTRICT OF THE KANAWHA, VIRGINIA, Flat Top Mountain, June 25, 1862. Brig. Gen. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army. GENERAL: A letter received yesterday called my attention to a matter which I have the honor to lay before you as it seems to call for some action to prevent the possibility of injury to a very meritorious officer in our service. On the 17th of July last, in the action at Scary Creek, on Kanawha River, Col. Jesse S. Norton, of the Twenty-first Ohio Volunteers, and Col. George S. Patton, of the rebel army (Twentysecond Virginia Regiment), were both seriously wounded and both made prisoners by reason of their injuries being so severe as to prevent their removal. Colonel Norton was first taken, but the Confederate Army being obliged to abandon the position next day both he and Colonel Patton were left in the neighborhood, where they were found by our troops. At the time I understood that Colonel Norton was paroled with the understanding that the same would be done with Colonel Patton, the arrangement being made between Colonel Norton and General *For Patton's correspondence, see Vol. III, this Series, p. 414. Wise. Colonel Norton was soon removed to Ohio, and when Colonel Patton improved sufficiently to allow of his removal he was permitted to pass through the lines to his home in Eastern Virginia. He recovered some time before Colonel Norton did, and General Wise sent me a letter by a flag of truce insisting that Colonel Patton should not be regarded as being under parole, but that a complete exchange was made at the time he had his interview with Colonel Norton. I regarded this as an attempt to avoid the parole and to get Colonel Patton on duty whilst Colonel Norton's position was still doubtful or unknown to me, and I replied that I had Colonel Patton's written parole, and had understood that Colonel Norton's was given in like manner; that under these circumstances I could take no further notice of the thing, leaving both officers to have the exchange made through proper channels, the question of exchanges not having been then settled by the United States Government. Colonel Norton upon his recovery resumed his command, the exchange being completed in due form as I supposed, but as his regiment had been removed from my command to Kentucky I had no means of knowing the particulars in regard to it. I now have a letter from Colonel Patton, which is dated in April, stating that he observed his parole until March, 1862, when he was regularly exchanged for another officer, not Colonel Norton. If this be so it would place Colonel Norton in the embarrassing position of serving while his parole is in force which he most assuredly has not done knowingly. If some other officer has been exchanged for Colonel Patton cannot Colonel Norton be relieved from his position by the release of an officer of equal rank, the mistake being thus corrected? If the chances of war should put Colonel Norton in the power of the enemy his position would be a difficult one, since it is manifest that they now claim that he is not exchanged. I shall send him a copy of this letter to call his attention to the claim set up and hope it may be at once arranged so as to have no contingency in his case. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. D. COX, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS FIFTH INDIANA VOLUNTEERS, Colonel HOFFMAN. Camp Morton, July 4, 1862. DEAR SIR: Having succeeded Colonel Owen in the command of this post about two weeks since I deem it proper to inform you that in looking over the affairs of the post I think there are matters which require your presence here. I allude chiefly to the peculiar cases of several prisoners confined here, and also the condition of the prisoners' fund, of which General Love informs me you know. Your obedient servant, D. G. ROSE, Colonel, Commanding Post. CHICAGO, July 4, 1862. Colonel HOFFMAN. DEAR SIR: Owing to the fact that Captain Wormer refused to pay me my mileage from Saint Paul to Mackinac I have been unable to call upon you at Detroit. I hereby send you copies of requests which I made whilst acting in my official capacity at Mackinac. I do so in order that you may compare them to the ex parte statements of Captain Wormer. Since I have been in the service of the United States Government I have not had any difficulty with any officer before now and have on all occasions endeavored to discharge my duties faithfully. On arriving there I found the hired surgeon had to sleep in the hospital, as the surgeon's quarters were occupied by Lieutenant Sutton. The cook-stove belonging to the hospital had been taken away and was used by the officers, and because I endeavored to discharge my duty as the Army Regulations demand it I have met with their displeasure. I have not been made acquainted with the character of the charges made against me, and if it is not improper for me to request you to do me the honor of writing me in answer to this I shall be under great obligations. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, C. W. LE BOUTILLIER. Address, C. W. Le Boutillier, Saint Anthony, Minn. [Inclosure No. 1.] FORT MACKINAC, June 2, 1862. General HAMMOND, Surgeon-General U. S. Army: In compliance with Special Orders, No. 102, I have reported myself for duty to Captain Wormer, commandant of this post. Having made suggestions to him on the subject of the health of the prisoners under his charge and he having declined compliance therewith I would respectfully request to be instructed by the department. I remain, your obedient servant, C. W. LE BOUTILLIER, Assistant Surgeon First Minnesota and Post Surgeon. JUNE 25, 1862. Explanation.-I came here without instructions; found only three prisoners; treated them as I thought the department wanted me to; found that they had no rations issued to them, not even water. [Inclosure No. 2.] Captain WORMER, Commandant. SIR: I consider that prisoner Michael Delaney ought to have a respite of one hour in every four. I informed the officer of the day (Lieutenant Sutton) that I considered it necessary for the health of the prisoner that he should have that time of repose, and he having declined compliance therewith I would respectfully ask you that my suggestion be carried out. Explanation.-Delaney struck one of his comrades with his fist. He was ordered by the captain to carry twenty-four pound cannon-balls. He did so for three hours when I ascertained that he was exhausted and wet to the skin. (It was raining.) He was released at 3.30 o'clock, having carried them seven hours with only one-half hour respite which I ordered the sergeant of the guard to grant him. [Inclosure No. 3.] HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT, Fort Mackinac, June 20, 1862. Lieutenant SUTTON, Commanding Officer of Post. SIR: I would request you to remove the guard now stationed on the porch of the hospital as I consider it dangerous to have a sentry with |