The trench is some fifty or sixty feet in length and must be several feet below the surface to pass under the foundation of the wall. The work has probably been progressing for many weeks. Large knives were found at the outside hole which appear to have been used in digging through the clay and loam. Among the prisoners who have escaped are Colonel Magoffin and his two sons, Colonel Murrell and Captain Sweeney, a one-armed man. I have sent out several parties to scour the country in the vicinity with the hope that some of them will be captured. Many have undoubtedly crossed the river at this place, as several skiffs are missing. I have telegraphed the provost-marshal-general at Saint Louis and the commanding officer at Saint Charles, Mo. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, F. F. FLINT, Major Sixteenth Regiment, Commanding. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, General M. C. MEIGS, Detroit, Mich., July 31, 1862. Quartermaster-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith requisitions for clothing for prisoners of war at Camp Chase and at the military prisor. at Alton, Ill., and I request an order may be given immediately for the issue. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Detroit, Mich., July 31, 1862. COMMANDING OFFICER, Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. SIR: Pursuant to General Orders, No. 90, current series, from the War Department, all chaplains in your charge as prisoners of war will be immediately and unconditionally released. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. (Copies of above letters have been mailed this day, July 31, to the following commanding officers: Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill.; military prison, Alton; Camp Morton, Indianapolis; depot of prisoners of war, Sandusky, Ohio; Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio.) OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Col. J. H. TUCKER, Commanding Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. COLONEL: A general exchange of prisoners of war is expected to take place immediately, and for this purpose you will prepare a roll of all prisoners of war in your charge which will include all those absent on parole. This roll must be made up within four days and if you cannot detail a sufficient number of competent clerks for this duty from * See Vol. I, this Series, p. 292 et seq., for trial of Ebenezer Magoffin. your command direct the quartermaster to hire as many as may be necessary. If the rolls can be prepared in less time let it be done, and retain the rolls till I call for them. The rolls heretofore called for by this office, together with the return for June, must be forwarded immediately. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. (Same to Col. C. W. B. Allison, commanding Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio; Col. D. G. Rose, commanding Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Ind.) OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Detroit, Mich., July 31, 1862. Maj. JOHN G. FONDA, Commanding Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill. MAJOR: Your letters of the 21st and 24th instant are received. Retain in confinement the citizen charged with harboring escaped prisoners and furnish me with a statement of the particulars in the case with the names of the witnesses, and do the same with any others against whom similar charges may be preferred. In the case referred to in your letter of the 24th send a description of him to the commanding officer at Cairo and ascertain if anything is known of him there. In the meantime if he is unruly or gives any trouble put him in irons. Hereafter the accounts of private physicians with your certificate attached must be referred to the Surgeon-General for payment. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. F. F. FLINT, Sixteenth U. S. Infantry, Comdg. Military Prison, Alton, Ill. MAJOR: Your letter of the 24th instant is received and I have to say in reply that the effects of deceased prisoners of war if not taken possession of by relatives present will be disposed of in any way you see proper for the benefit of the sick. If the Hon. A. G. Porter desires an interview with Mr. Brown with the hope of effecting his release on the ground that he is a Union man the interview may be granted; not otherwise. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Capt. H. M. LAZELLE, Eighth Infantry, U. S. Army, Columbus, Ohio. CAPTAIN: Please say to Colonel Allison that I recall paroles granted to prisoners at Camp Chase giving them the privilege of remaining in or about Columbus, except in the two cases where their return to prison would probably lead to personal violence or in cases where from illhealth it is absolutely necessary that the paroles should be continued. Please see that this order is carried out. Your report of the 25th instant is very satisfactory and the measures you have taken are approved. The estimate for clothing must be referred to the Quartermaster-General. It is expected that an exchange of prisoners of war will be made immediately and I have to-day given orders that rolls be made out immediately for this purpose. The roll should embrace the military alone and should include those absent on paroles. If there are any soldiers not belonging to a regular organization they should be put on a roll by themselves. Please see that this roll is made out without delay and that the rolls heretofore called for for this office are prepared at once. The duplicate for the War Department I telegraphed from Washington to be sent to the Adjutant-General. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. FORT PICKERING, Memphis, Tenn., July 31, 1862. Maj. Gen. W. T. SHERMAN. SIR: On the 30th day of June, 1862, five men and myself of Company A, Forty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, were captured by Jackson's cavalry and the men are still held. I have been paroled for sixty days to try to procure an exchange for myself and fellow-prisoners. There are thirty-seven enlisted men held with me at Grenada.~ General Villepigue proposes to release us if we will procure a like number of their men and deliver them up. I am anxious that the arrangement may be made, and if not compatible with your duty to furnish the men to make the exchange I should be happy to have you refer the matter to those who might act in the matter. Respectfully, yours, J. W. HEATH, Captain Company A, Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. [First indorsement.] Captain Heath will have to call on Colonel Hoffman, superintendent of prisoners of war, Detroit, Mich., to effect this exchange. [Second indorsement.] U. S. GRANT, OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, August 27, 1862. Respectfully referred to General L. Thomas, commissioner for exchange of prisoners of war. The address of Captain Heath is Van Wert, Van Wert County, Ohio. W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. FORT DELAWARE, July 31, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. SIR: The conduct of Lieutenant Wood, of Fort Lafayette, toward me while a prisoner at that place has induced me to address you the following facts: Upon my arrival at Fort Lafayette, June 11, 1862, I was required to deliver into the hands of Lieutenant Wood all articles of value in my possession (for which he gave no receipt). Among other things I delivered to him my money, which consisted of $75 gold and 10 shillings silver (English), also a small Colt revolver which as a present I valued very highly. I was assured that all would be returned to me upon my departure. When I left Fort Lafayette I was given to understand that my money and pistol would be transferred to the officer in whose charge I should leave the fort. I am now informed by Captain Gibson, of this fort, that he received my money in bank notes, which in New York were at least 7 per cent. below the value of gold and which to me are almost valueless. The pistol he did not receive at all. I am satisfied that this unjust conduct was wholly unauthorized and therefore feel justified in bringing it to your notice. As I am soon to be exchanged I will not be able to receive any communication which you may see fit to make upon the subject. I therefore respectfully request that any such communication be addressed to Mr. B. W. Sanders, Fort Delaware, who will attend to it in my behalf. I am, sir, your most obedient servant, ALBERT O. STONE, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, August 1, 1862. Major-General WOOL, Baltimore: It is stated by General Dix that sixty prisoners were sent from your command yesterday to Fort Monroe "without any letter or explanation of any sort" and that twenty of them are political prisoners. You will please report to this Department why and by whom the prisoners were sent forward without explanation or information to General Dix and also by whose direction any political prisoners were sent to Fort MonYou will send a list of their names by mail and a statement of the time when and by whose order they were arrested and why they are held as prisoners. If sent back by General Dix you will keep them until further orders. roe. EDWIN M. STANTON, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, August 1, 1862. Adjutant-General THOMAS: (Care of Maj. Gen. John A. Dix, Fortress Monroe.) Please bear in mind to secure the exchange of General Prentiss. (Same to care of General McClellan.) EDWIN M. STANTON. COLUMBUS, OHIO, August 1, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON: A large number of rebel prisoners beg of me to protect them against an unconditional exchange. They are yet liable to military duty to the rebels and wish to avoid it. Is there any way to relieve them? 21 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV DAVID TOD, Governor. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF EAST TENNESSEE, Brig. Gen. G. W. MORGAN, Commanding U. S. Forces, Cumberland Gap. GENERAL: It has been reported to me that by your orders peaceable citizens without your lines have been arrested on account of their political opinions and are now held as prisoners. Since assuming command in this department I have arrested but seven persons for political offenses, and of these six have been released. By my intercession many who before my taking charge of the department had been sent South and confined have been released. I have ever given to the citizens of East Tennessee protection to person and property regardless of their political tenets. Six hundred and sixty-four citizens escaping to Kentucky, most of them with arms in their hands and belonging to military organizations in open hostility to the Confederate States, have been taken prisoners. All of these have been released excepting seventy-six, who previously had voluntarily taken the oath of alle giance to the Confederate States Government and are now held as prisoners of war. This policy has been pursued with the earnest desire to allay the horrors of war and to conduct the campaign with as little severity as is consistent with the interests of my Government. It is therefore, general, with deep regret that I hear of your arresting peaceable citizens without your lines, thereby inaugurating a policy which must bring great additional suffering on the two contending people. I cannot but hope that this course has resulted from a misapprehension of my policy and a want of knowledge of my treatment of the Union element in East Tennessee. I have constantly had it in my power to arrest numbers of citizens disloyal to the Confederate States but have heretofore refrained from so doing for the reasons above stated, and hoping all the while that the clemency thus extended would be appreciated and responded to by the authorities of the United States. It is perhaps needless for me to state that if you arrest and confine citizens from without your lines whom the usages of war among civilized nations exempt from molestation I shall be compelled in retaliation to pursue a similar course toward the disloyal citizens of my department, and shall arrest and confine the prominent Union men in each community. I hope, however, that this explanation may correct any misapprehension on your part regarding my policy and thereby obviate the necessity of my pursuing a course which is to say the least a disagreeable duty. This communication will be delivered you by Mr. Kincaid, who hopes to be able to effect the release of his father now held as a prisoner. Inclosed is a list of political prisoners arrested by me since assuming command of this department. ** E. KIRBY SMITH, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE Gulf, New Orleans, August 1, 1862. J. C. Dinnies, associate editor of the Commercial Bulletin, for having written and published a seditious article, is hereby ordered to be sent to Fort Jackson until further orders. By order of Major-General Butler: [R. S. DAVIS,] Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. *Not found. |