be made, but it was not contemplated to issue anything more than was absolutely necessary. At that time there were many who for want of clothes to cover their nakedness could not go out to work, and now it is only to such cases that issues will be made. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Detroit, Mich., August 28,1862. Col. J. H. TUCKER, Commanding Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. COLONEL: The prisoners of war belonging to the Confederate Army now at Camp Douglas will as soon as practicable be transferred via Cairo to Vicksburg, Miss., for exchange. They will move in parties of about 1,000, each party to be accompanied by a guard of one company, and will take rations with them to last them to Cairo. Duplicate rolls will be sent with the prisoners embracing all present, all on parole and all who may be left behind sick or otherwise, with appropriate remarks accounting for the absentees. You will see that these rolls are complete and accurately made up, and you will put your certificate to this effect on the back of them. They will be placed in the hands of the officer in command of the guard, who will deliver them and the prisoners on his arrival at or near Vicksburg to Capt. H. M. Lazelle, Eighth U. S. Infantry, agent for the delivery of prisoners of war, to whom he will report for further orders. You will place in the hands of the commander of the guard all moneys belonging to prisoners that may be in your possession, with a certificate showing the amount due each individual, which money and account will be delivered to Captain Lazelle. You will instruct the commander of the guard with each party to be particularly careful that none of his charge escape by the way and that they are not interfered with in any way at stopping-places on the route. On his arrival at Cairo he will report to the general in command who will provide all things necessary for the movement from that point. You will call on Captain Potter, assistant quartermaster at Chicago, for transportation by railroad to Cairo. Prisoners of war belonging to State or irregular organizations and not to the Confederate service are not now to be exchanged. To those Confederate prisoners who do not wish to be exchanged and are willing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States you will administer the oath and discharge them. Duplicate rolls of all so discharged will be prepared and certified to by yourself, one copy to be sent to the Adjutant-General at Washington and the other to this office. These prisoners will receive any money in your hands belonging to them. Those from the State of Tennessee after signing certain papers prepared under the direction of Governor Johnson, of Tennessee, which will be presented by General W. B. Campbell, commissioner, from Tennessee, will be furnished with transportation to Nashville. In dividing the prisoners into parties it would perhaps be most convenient to preserve their regimental organization, but in this case as your rolls are made up in a general alphabetical list it will be best if possible to make up the parties as they stand on the rolls. The movement cannot be commenced before Monday next if so soon, and in the meantime I will be in Chicago to give further directions. Captain Freedley, to whom I have given instructions, may arrive before me and will give you his assistance. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Major DARR, Provost-Marshal-General, Wheeling, Va. MAJOR: I inclose you some papers* which may put you on the track of disloyal people who are secretly aiding the rebel cause. There are those about you who are evidently not disposed to sustain the Union. The papers were placed in my hands at Indianapolis. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. CAIRO, ILL., August 28, 1862. Commodore C. H. DAVIS, Commanding Gun-boat Flotilla, Mississippi River. COMMODORE: In my note to you of the 27th instant it was stated that I had telegraphed to the Secretary of War asking that the remaining prisoners should be retained at their respective prison camps until my return from Vicksburg, then that they should be all embarked at once and be sent together down the river. I have the honor to inclose to you a copy of the reply and agreeably to its instructions to make to you the application directed in the communication. I shall have four transports ready by 12 m. to-day. Four or possibly six more will be ready by the time a convoy can be sent from Helena to this point. With the highest respect, I am, commodore, your obedient servant, H. M. LAZELLE, Capt., 8th Infty., U. S. Army, Agent for Exchange of Prisoners of War. [Inclosure.] ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Capt. H. M. LAZELLE, U. S. Army, Cairo, Ill.: The movement of the prisoners cannot be stopped. Proceed with those you have with the gun-boat Eastport. Ask the naval commander to immediately send other gun-boats to Cairo to convoy the other transports. You need not go back to Cairo for the others. [SURGEON-GENERAL U. S. ARMY.] L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. ANNAPOLIS, August 28, 1862. DEAR SIR: Two thousand paroled prisoners are now here and have at length been supplied with tents, but many have very insufficient clothing and no covering, though the nights are cool, and in consequence much bad feeling exists among them. Doctor Getty informs me that 100 of the worst cases of the sick and wounded who have presented certificates from their surgeon have been admitted to the general hospital, but from the limited observation I have been enabled to make there are many others lying on the ground whose cases have not been disposed of, and I fear the surgeons are not sufficiently atten tive, as they have not even a tent hospital to keep the wounded together and could not accept of suitable nourishment which I offered them. Mrs. Brewer has supplied them with bandages and old linen to some extent, and articles received to-day from the Pennsylvania Relief Association will enable her to supply them sufficiently, and to some extent with clothing, but she has no covering. Permit me respectfully to suggest that Doctor Getty be required to examine them all and dispose of their cases, which he will cheerfully do if directed I presume, not being authorized to interfere without orders. I hope you will excuse my interference as I am only actuated by the desire to give you information which might be neglected, and not to annoy you, knowing that the War Department and yours also have trouble enough. Your obedient servant, [First indorsement.] N. BREWER. SURGEON-GENERAL'S OFFICE, August 30, 1862. Respectfully referred to the Quartermaster-General. [Second indorsement.] JOS. R. SMITH, Assistant Surgeon-General. QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S OFFICE, September 4, 1862. Respectfully referred to the Adjutant-General. I have directed the quartermaster, Captain Blodgett, stationed at Annapolis to look into this and report the condition and wants of these men. Respectfully, M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster-General. SAINT LOUIS, August 28, 1862. Brigadier-General SCHOFIELD, U. S. Army, Saint Louis. SIR: I lose no time in informing you that a large number of persons who were unlawfully arrested last night and discharged by your order this morning have called on me this afternoon with the request that I should thank you for the prompt measures you took to restore them to liberty. It gives me much pleasure in having to convey to you this public expression of confidence. Permit me to add my own thanks for the course pursued by you to prevent a recurrence of such outrages as have been committed upon peaceable citizens during the last few days. I have the honor to be, sir, your very obedient servant, J. EDWARD WILKINS, Her British Majesty's Consul at Chicago. INDIANAPOLIS, IND., August 28, 1862. Col. W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. COLONEL: I have the honor to request instructions in the following particulars, viz: 1. Shall the prisoners of war who take the oath of allegiance be furnished transportation by the United States to their homes? 2. Shall the oaths be taken in duplicate, one for prisoner, one to be retained to be forwarded with roll, or in triplicate, two retained? 3. Shall they be sworn by myself or shall a notary public be employed? 4. After the prisoners have been forwarded from Camp Morton as per roll a few will be left whose names do not appear on the rolls. Twenty-six arrived yesterday from Kentucky without roll. Shall they all be forwarded to Sandusky? 5. Shall I cause rolls to be made out of the prisoners who have taken the oath and been sent off by Governor Campbell? 6. Shall the convalescents who will be paroled be furnished transportation by the United States to Vicksburg? The last detachment of prisoners will go to Cairo this evening. Scarcity of transportation has prevented my forwarding them more rapidly. The following have been forwarded, viz: 1,238 to Cairo with Captain Lazelle on Saturday; 773 to Cairo with Captain Richardson Sunday; 333 to Sandusky with Lieutenant Lupton Monday; 990 to Cairo with Captain Bowman Wednesday. Inclosed please find a letter* which was addressed to me at the Bates House by some of the post-office officials. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. FREEDLEY, HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON, Major-General DIX, Fort Monroe. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. MILITARY DIST. OF WASHINGTON, * * V. All prisoners of war now in confinement in Old Capitol Prison desirous of being exchanged will be forth with sent to the transport Juniata, foot of Sixth street, to be taken to Fortress Monroe. The provostmarshal will immediately detail one competent commissioned officer and twenty men to take charge of these prisoners. The officer so detailed will on his arrival at Fortress Monroe report to Major-General Dix, commanding. He will also take charge of Miss Belle Boyd, now confined in Old Capitol Prison, and turn her over to Major-General Dix to be sent through the lines to the South. By command of Brigadier-General Wadsworth: *Not found. JOHN P. SHERBURNE, † Omitted. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW MEXICO, COMMANDING OFFICER, District of Arizona. SIR: I am directed by the commanding general to inclose a list of Confederate prisoners paroled from this place. A duplicate of this list was sent by the officer in charge of the escort of these prisoners before the arrival of the party at your headquarters. You will verify the list, and after noting upon it any changes by death, desertion, &c., you will return it to the headquarters of the department. The prisoners at points in your district will also be paroled, and after being united with this party will be sent to your lines. The non-commissioned officers and privates will be required to subscribe in duplicate and swear to the paroles* inclosed herewith. The oath will be administered by the provost-marshal or other officers that may be designated by you for that purpose. The officers will give a verbal parole. Medical officers and chaplains will be discharged unconditionally. (See War Department General Orders, Nos. 60 and 90, of 1862.) If any of these men refuse to give their parole they will be sent under a sufficient guard to department headquarters. It is probable that some of the prisoners in your charge may desire to remain in this country upon condition of taking the oath of allegiance to the Government of the United States. The applications will be acted upon with caution, as they are known in some instances to have been prompted by sinister motives, and none will be allowed to remain unless you are well assured of their good intention; even then it will be prudent to give bonds for their good behavior and loyal conduct. The bond required here was $1,000, but the amount required will be determined by your own judgment. If any wish to go to the Northern States and are willing to take the oath of allegiance they will be sent to department headquarters by the first detachment of troops coming up. They will be regarded as prisoners until they are beyond the limits of the department. When this party is sent beyond our lines it will be provisioned to enable it to reach the nearest military post in the lines of the enemy. If practicable you will notify the authorities in advance of their arrival in order that they may make provision for receiving them. If there are no outposts of the enemy in your neighborhood you will furnish them with arms sufficient for their protection from the hostilities of the Indians through whose country they travel. Arms have been furnished to the parties heretofore sent in the proportion of one piece to every five men and twenty rounds of ammunition for each piece. If there is any reason to apprehend danger of molestation from the Mexican population you will cause the party to be escorted beyond the reach of that danger. The escort will be of course under a flag of truce. If the prisoners have no means of providing themselves with the transportation that will be needed beyond our lines it must be provided by you. In doing this you will make the best arrangements that you can to secure the return of the transportation and other public property with which they may be furnished. You will make a complete return of the prisoners of war under your charge (see inclosed General Orders, No. 32†), noting upon it the places * Omitted. + Omitted here; see Vol. III, this Series, p. 417. |