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The unanimous expression of the agents with whom I conversed, including the superintendent of Indian affairs, Colonel Coffin, and the physician, was that they should be provided with all the articles above enumerated as essential to their health and ordinary comfort.

Notwithstanding all their hardships and disappointments these people who have exhibited a courage and endurance beyond any in the United States breathe but one spirit of fidelity to the Union and a desire once more to be restored to their homes and friends and there sustained by the Federal Government to defend the cause they have espoused.

They ardently desire to return to their farms, rebuild their cabins, renew their fences, plant the seed and obtain from the rich soil of their country a subsistence from their own industry; and unless they are afforded an opportunity to return with this object in view they must become discouraged and demoralized and remain upon the hands of the Government a burden from which their natural feeling of pride and independence would save them. Thus the alternative is presented to the Government of restoring them to their homes, enabling them to be self-supporting or sustain them at its own expense for another year at least. In the former case immediate action is necessary for the planting season in that country is already near at hand.

I was assured by Hopoeithleyohola that he and his people were willing on being properly armed to fight their own way back; but more lately learning from reliable information that there were three camps consisting of from 5,000 to 6,000 rebel Indians and Texans to oppose him he would now require assistance from our troops. Should the latter case be adopted it is highly important that a sagacious, humane and prudent officer be intrusted with the command.

Should it be determined to retain them in their present position it is a matter of no difficulty to estimate the expense of so doing. Calling them 8,000 in round numbers, allowing rations for 365 days at 10 cents per day would demand an outlay of $292,000 for subsistence alone; $100,000 would not meet the wants for clothing, to say nothing of tents and other necessary expenses.

We cannot shut our eyes to the demoralizing effect upon them should they remain in their present condition as mere beneficiaries of the Government without employment or incentives to industry.

Your obedient servant,

GEORGE W. COLLAMORE.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
June 13, 1862.

L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General:

I respectfully apply to be informed by telegraph to-day if possible whether it be true as has been stated to me that the enemy make only partial exchanges of prisoners, excluding officers, and if so what reasons are assigned for this course. The enemy having proposed to me to negotiate with me for a general exchange of prisoners and the War Department having authorized me to make such exchanges so far as the army under my command and that opposed to me are concerned, it is important before entering into any arrangement on the subject that I should speedily be made acquainted with the information herein sought. GEO. B MCCLELLAN,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE DEPARTMENT,
Baltimore, June 13, 1862.

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

SIR: Herewith you will receive a communication* from Col. R. W. Hanson and other prisoners of war on the subject of exchanges. At their special request I transmit it for your consideration. By my correspondence with Major-General Huger you will perceive I not only offered to exchange all prisoners of war, privateersmen as well as those who had been held as hostages, on fair and honorable terms but on the express terms proposed by General Huger according to the cartel made between the United States and Great Britain. The privateers. men when sent to be exchanged or paroled remained at or near City Point I think five days, but received no reply from General Huger. After Lieutenant-Colonel Whipple returned to Fort Monroe with the privateersmen I received a letter from Major-General Huger just as I was leaving Fort Monroe for Baltimore inclosing a letter (these letters were transmitted to the Secretary of War) from Mr. Randolph condemning the course of General Huger, with an intimation that I had overreached him, which was anything but the truth, for certainly nothing could have been further from my thoughts than circumventing General Huger on the subject. There was no necessity for such a course for there was a perfect understanding between us to be governed by the cartel made between the United States and Great Britain in 1813. I have complied with the request of Colonel Hanson and others. without discovering what more can be done to accomplish the object of exchanging Colonel Corcoran and others. On examination of MajorGeneral Huger's last letter it will be perceived that he did not receive my letter sent with the privateers. It would seem that it was transmitted to Mr. Randolph. Major-General Huger says in his letter that he did not understand the letter of Mr. Randolph. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN E. WOOL, Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS, Richmond, Va., June 13, 1862.
Army,

Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN, U. S.

Commanding Army of the Potomac, &c. GENERAL: I have had the honor to receive your letter of this date. The officer designated by you is entirely acceptable to me, but the place of meeting (Mr. James Garnett's house) is included within our line of pickets. I therefore propose that Colonel Key should meet General Cobb at the time you designate (Sunday morning next at 11 o'clock) at the Mechanicsville bridge, which I believe is not occupied by the pickets of either army, the interview between the officers to be alone.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

*Not found.

R. E. LEE,

General.

For Huger to Wool, June 5, inclosing Randolph to Huger of June 3, see Vol. III, this Series, p. 650.

By reference to Ransom to Randolph, Vol. III, this Series, p. 887, it will be seen that Huger had left Petersburg.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, June 13, 1862.

Major-General DIX, Commanding, &c., Fort Monroe:

Where is General Pettigrew, taken prisoner by Army of the Potomac, now confined?

L. THOMAS,
Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Hon. ANDREW JOHNSON,

Washington, June 13, 1862.

Military Governor of Tennessee, Nashville, Tenn.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that under instructions from the Secretary of War arrangements have been made at Fort Mackinac, Mich., for the reception and safe-keeping of some fifteen political pris

oners from Tennessee.

I am, sir, &c.,

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Col. WILLIAM HOFFMAN, U. S. Army,

Washington, June 13, 1862.

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Philadelphia, Pa.

SIR: In reply to your inquiries* I have respectfully to inform you as follows: State prisoners are under your care to the same extent as prisoners of war. An adjutant and sergeant-major cannot be mustered into service under existing laws for the Sandusky depot. An ordnance sergeant will be ordered there and the Surgeon-General will be requested to detail a hospital steward. The clerks alluded to in your memorandum cannot receive extra pay. Sutlers' prices should be regulated. A new commander will be assigned to Camp Butler, Springfield. The present commanders of Camps Douglas and Morton may remain, at any rate for the present.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. THOMAS,
Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, June 13, 1862.

Col. WILLIAM HOFFMAN, U. S. Army,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.

SIR: In accordance with your recommendation of May 17 the Secretary of War authorizes you to declare martial law over a space of 100 feet outside and around the limits of the camp where prisoners of war are confined whenever you deem it necessary, and bring to punishment by short confinement or trial by court-martial at the discretion of the commanding officer persons trespassing upon such spaces in

violation of orders.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

*Not found.

SPECIAL ORDERS,

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, June 13, 1862.

William M. Clary, late second officer of the U. S. steam transport Saxon, and Stanislaus Roy, of New Orleans, on the night of the 11th of June, instant, having forged a pretended authority of the major-general commanding, being armed, in company with other evil-disposed persons under false names and in a pretended uniform of soldiers of the United States, entered the house of a peaceable citizen, No. 93 Toulouse street, about the hour of 11 o'clock in the nighttime, and then in a pretended search for arms and treasonable correspondence by virtue of such forged authority plundered said house and stole therefrom $1,885 in current bank notes, one gold watch and chain and one bosom pin.

This outrage was reported to the commanding general at 11 o'clock a. m. on the 12th day of June, instant, and by his order Clary and Roy were detected and arrested on the same day and brought before the commanding general at 1 o'clock p. m. of this day, when and where it appeared by incontrovertible evidence that the facts above stated were true, and all material parts thereof were voluntarily confessed by Clary and Roy. It further appeared that Clary and Roy had before this occasion visited other houses of peaceable citizens in the nighttime and for like purposes and under like false pretenses. Brass knuckles, burglar keys and a portion of the stolen property and other property stolen from other parties were found upon the person of Roy and in his lodgings.

Whereupon, after a full hearing of the defense of Clary and Roy and due consideration of the evidence, it was ordered by the commanding general that William M. Clary and Stanislaus Roy for their offenses be punished by being hanged by the neck until they are dead, and this sentence be executed upon them and each of them between the hours of 8 o'clock a. m. and 12 m. on Monday, the 16th day of June, instant, at or near the parish prison, in the city of New Orleans.

The provost-marshal will cause said sentence to be executed, and for so doing this order will be his sufficient warrant. By command of Major-General Butler:

R. S. DAVIS,

Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Major-General HALLECK:

POPE'S HEADQUARTERS, June 13, 1862.

General Asboth reports to me from Rienzi that the woods and swamps east of him are swarming with deserters from the enemy. They are making their way homeward. What is to be done with them? Had they not better be suffered to go? It would take reams of blanks to administer oaths to them. I have not hitherto meddled with them as I could not feed them. Thousands have passed on their way home and as many more are coming every day. They endeavor to pass without coming into camp.

JOHN POPE.

CORINTH, MISS., June 13, 1862.

Col. W. W. LowE, Commanding Fort Henry:

Muster the mutinous exchanged prisoners out of service and turn

them out of your camp.

J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

LOUISVILLE, June 13, 1862.

The release of prisoners sent from Kentucky to Camp Chase will injure us very much in Kentucky. They return emboldened and to assassinate the men who arrested them. It will endanger us in Kentucky. J. T. BOYLE, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Brig. Gen. J. G. BLUNT,

HEADQUARTERS, Fort Riley, June 13, 1862.

Commanding Department of Kansas, Fort Leavenworth. GENERAL: Pursuant to instructions from headquarters Department of Kansas, dated June 10, 1862, received last night, I send to you all the information I can obtain relative to the prisoners in my charge at this post. I have no official information concerning them aside from the paroles, of which I inclose a copy. I can find no papers in the office except a list of their names. I classified them upon the statement of the officers with them. Time of capture, by whom taken and time of parole, by whom paroled, &c., is wholly from them except the paroles referred to.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Ď. S. WHITTENHALL,

Captain, Second Regiment Kansas Volunteers, Comdg. Post.

[Inclosure.]

I, J. A. Darby, a first lieutenant of Company I, Colonel Green's regiment of the Confederate Army, do solemnly swear that I will not bear arms against the Government of the United States, or in any other manner either directly or indirectly serve against the Government unless duly exchanged or otherwise released by proper authority from the obligations of this parole: So help me God.

Attest:

J. A. DARBY, Company I, Fifth Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers.

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HEADQUARTERS SECOND KANSAS VOLUNTEERS,
Camp near Council Grove, Kans., June 13, 1862.

Capt. DANIEL S. WHITTENHALL,

Commanding Post, Fort Riley.

CAPTAIN: In reply to the communication referred to me by yourself from the Department of Kansas dated June 9 [10] I would state that in my letter to the department on the 5th instant I gave them all the information I was possessed of relative to the prisoners now at Fort Riley. I was not furnished with a copy of the parole, and in fact I have only the word of Lieutenant Johnson that one existed. Major Hayden, of Fort Larned, informed me that he had conferred fully with General Blunt upon the subject and I had supposed that the necessary information had passed around me. The regiments to which the 2 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV

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