at which they were captured and in each case the disposition made of the prisoners. This return will be sent to this office with the list of prisoners sent from this place. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, GURDEN CHAPIN, Captain, Seventh Infantry, Assistant Adjutant-General. DETROIT, MICH., August 29, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON: Colonel Fry, taken at Saint Charles, on White River, who ordered his men to fire on our drowning men, is at Cairo. What shall be done with him? W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith the papers in the case of Capt. R. R. Ross, Confederate Army, arrested at Louisville for violating his parole. Captain Ross professes to have had no intention of violating his parole, and if this be true he was certainly very reckless of its obligations. His first step was to prepare to go to Washington when he was only authorized as it seems by the indorsement on his parole to report to me in this city. In offering to escort ladies to Richmond he was to say the least of it more influenced by kindly feelings than by the restrictions of his parole. His aid in the payment of a bill for arms purchased by an officer of the Confederate Army is a violation of the spirit if not the letter of his parole. The military outfit in his possession possibly belonged to him, and if so there was no offense in his having them. I respectfully refer the case to the War Department with the recommendation that an immediate investigation of it be made. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. [Inclosure.] CAMP CHASE, OHIO, August 29, 1862. Col. J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adjutant-General, U. S. Army. DEAR SIR: I have been in prison now for a month and as I learn within the last few days for breaking parole. Now as I never have broken my parole at all and therefore expected from day to day to be released I did not write to you for assistance, but as I have been in so long hope has died out and I write for your intercession, either to court-martial me and prove me clear or examine the charges which you will find at first view apparently valid, but utterly groundless on investigation. Of course if I have not broken my parole I cannot be guilty, and if not guilty why detain me a moment? With high confidence in your kindness to those in a helpless condition, believe me, with much respect, REUBEN R. ROSS. Your obedient servant, [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Respectfully referred to Brig. Gen. L. Thomas, commissioner for the exchange of prisoners. By order of Major-General Halleck: J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adjutant-General. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Capt. H. M. LAZELLE, U. S. Army, Agent for Delivery of Prisoners of War, Vicksburg, Miss. CAPTAIN: Dr. J. E. Dixon, surgeon Ninth Tennessee Cavalry, was unconditionally released from the Sandusky depot under General Orders, No. 60, on the 23d of June and was subsequently arrested within our lines under circumstances which subjected him to the charge of being spy and he was sent to Camp Chase. From that camp he was improperly sent by the commanding officer with prisoners of war to be exchanged. I have telegraphed to have him detained at Cairo, but should this fail you will hold him under the charge of being a spy not subject to exchange, and remand him under guard to the Sandusky depot. Should any prisoners of war held by the Confederate Army be offered to you by their agent for the exchange you will receive them, giving the necessary receipts, and order them to Camp Chase. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Capt. H. M. LAZELLE, U. S. Army, Agent for Delivery of Prisoners of War, Vicksburg, Miss. CAPTAIN: In my letter this morning I omitted to mention that a box of swords belonging to officers of the Confederate Army will be forwarded to you by the quartermaster at Columbus, and you will please return [them] to their owners when you turn the prisoners over to the agent who is to receive them. Some of the swords belong to officers who have taken the oath of allegiance and been released. These you should bring back with you to be returned to their owners. Capt. William Peyton is one of them. Other swords belong to officers who were at Fort Warren, and if they are marked so as to be distinguished you may turn them over to the agent and take his receipt. Swords which are without marks you will bring back with you to be held subject to the order of the owners. Pistols are not considered side-arms and will not be returned. If there are any in the box you will bring them back with you. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S OFFICE, General W. A. HAMMOND, U. S. Army, Surgeon-General. SIR: You are respectfully informed that a copy of your letter of the 13th instant requesting that the barracks now in course of construction at Fort Independence may be transferred to the medical department for hospital purposes, having been referred to the commanding officer at that post with information that if the barracks can be spared the Quarterinaster-General would be glad to have them turned over as desired, that officer has reported that at the present time it seems impossible to devote any portion of the barracks at that post to hospital purposes, as by a recent order issued by the War Department Fort Independence is made a rendezvous for the safe-keeping of general prisoners, 150 of whom are now confined there, and they are increasing at an average ratio of twenty per day. The commanding officer concludes by stating that Doctor McLaren seems to have abandoned the idea of establishing a hospital at Fort Independence, inasmuch as he has ordered all stores appertaining thereto to be removed to Boston. By order: E. S. SIBLEY, Brevet Colonel, U. S. Army, and Deputy Quartermaster-General. U.S. MILITARY POST, Salem, Mo., August 29, 1862. Col. J. M. GLOVER, Commanding Rolla Division. COLONEL: Your favor of the 28th came to hand last night, also pay-rolls to be substituted for muster-rolls. Hospital pay-rolls are yet missing. Please send them by returning express. Lieut. H. Reed returned yesterday with his detachment after a very successful expedition down the Currant River to Jack's Fork. He secured some of the worst and most dangerous characters in the whole district, among them the late State Senator Joshua Chilton, the "King of Shannon County," as they call him, who did more to induce men to join the Southern Army than perhaps any other man in this whole State. The number of prisoners Lieutenant Reed brought in is six. I will deliver them to-morrow to the detachment of cavalry returning to Rolla. A good many contrabands and some U. S. horses were brought in also. Three men who were met in arms and one who tried to run away when ordered to halt were killed. Of all those proceedings I will give you further details in my next letter. "The country over which we traveled," the report winds up, "was very destitute of water until we reached Sinking Creek; after that it was rough and hilly and supplied with an abundance of the purest of water, plenty of corn in the field, in the valleys some considerable fruit -peaches and apples-not very many sheep, an abundance of cattle, not much small grain that I saw; found two grist-mills and any quantity of hogs, though they are all poor." According to the reports of Lieutenant Reed as well as of the guide it will be easy to secure from the Currant River Valley alone 1,000 head of good cattle if only a force of about 300 cavalry can be employed to make a clean sweep through it. To take a part of the cattle at a time would have the effect to drive the balance into the woods. The news our guide could collect of the whereabouts of Coleman differ in so far that according to one (secesh) report he was cashiered 30 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV and superseded by a certain Captain White, who was last year connected with Jeff. Thompson; that according to the other one he is at or near Batesville, on the south [north] side of the White River. A Union man who was a prisoner with Coleman when it became known that Colonel Boyd was after him said that Coleman went then through the different camps addressing his men in such a way as to impress upon them that every one had to take care of himself, as they were pursued by the enemy and every one only provided with two rounds of ammunition. He is now reported 2,500 strong, but can according to the best calculations have no more than 1,500 to 1,800, of whom only 400 armed and provided with two rounds each. Certain it is that no hostile force of any considerable strength is to be found within sixty miles of this post at present. I was therefore very much surprised by the sudden appearance of a cavalry detachment which you were kind enough to send me as a re-enforcement. As this post is in no way endangered now I told Captain Avery that he might return to-morrow at his best convenience. I have never received the order of the War Department regarding the destruction of buildings. It was not my intention to have other buildings destroyed [than those] which are of real advantage to the enemy, and have been and will be used as places of defense and shelter. Most respectfully, your obedient servant, J. WEYDEMEYER, Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Post. OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, Maj. L. C. TURNER, Judge-Advocate. SIR: I have the honor to report the arrest of Rev. Edgar Woods, of this city, for refusing to take the prescribed oath of allegiance. He has been released on parole and bond to appear and abide by your decision. This gentleman was compelled to leave Columbus, Ohio, on account of his secession proclivities and for refusing to recite the prayer for the success of the Federal arms, &c. I have telegraphed you to-day that "all authorities in this department have heretofore directed the arrest and confinement of all citizens refusing to take the oath of allegiance," and to inform me if this course was approved. It now forms a standing order of Brig. Gen. B. F. Kelley, commanding Railroad District, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and Northwestern Virginia Railroad, and has been found very salutary in its effect on both male and female rebel sympathizers. It has been supposed that all citizens who refuse to take the oath should be arrested because their refusal is prima facie evidence of disloyalty and that they only wanted the opportunity to do the Govern ment some injury. Those who at first refuse to take the oath and afterwards consent to do so have then been required to give bond also. In this county and other counties of Western Virginia the families of persons in the rebel service are protected, and it is but fair that they should give some assurance to the Government that they will not give information, aid, &c., to enemies of the United States. Very respectfully, JOS. DARR, JR., Major and Provost-Marshal-General. OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, Maj. L. C. TURNER, Judge-Advocate. SIR: I have the honor to inclose a statement* to be submitted to you from acquaintances of the Rev. Edgar Woods, whose case was referred to you this morning. I had requested the gentlemen whose names are subscribed to this memorial to discover if possible from Mr. Woods who made no explanation to me why he refused to take the oath and why he should be exempted from the consequences attaching to such refusal, for which by order of commanders in this department others are now incarcerated at Camp Chase. It appears that Mr. Woods could not even explain to his friends the precise difficulty of conscience under which he labors in this matter. If innocent he certainly subscribes to the oath every day, and if truly loyal would unhesitatingly take it. It seems to me to be a hair-splitting [illegible] part, which, if allowed to maintain his position will have no good effect in this community. An exception or exemption made in his favor under all the circumstances will be considered as an insidious one and will be taken advantage of by others. The order of Brigadier-General Kelley recites: "If the parties refuse to take the oath it is clear evidence they are disloyal and the public interest requires that they shall not be at liberty and you will therefore confine them." This too in the case of ladies. Under this order General Kelley's own brother-in-law was sent to Camp Chase and has but lately been released on taking the oath and giving bond. Some weeks ago under General Frémont's administration of the Mountain Department I called upon several persons who had not done so to take the oath, those refusing being sent to Camp Chase, the good effect of which Governor Peirpoint can attest. At every reverse of the Federal arms there are plenty of those who do nothing that evince by their manner and meetings where their sympathy lies, proving that if they had the opportunity they would do something. It is to tie the hands and close the mouths of such as I understand it that they are called on to take the oath of allegiance to the Government which protects them, and no person who is entitled to live under it should object to avow himself its friend, or at least solemnly engage to do it no harm by act or speech. If the order referred to above and the policy heretofore adopted on this subject are to be revoked I shall cheerfully carry out any instructions of the department. I feel some pride in stating that I have filled my present position for some months in Virginia to the satisfaction of my superiors and the public. I only desire to discharge my duty faithfully to the Government. Very respectfully, R. CRANGLE, Esq. OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, DEAR SIR: The statement to be made in the case of Rev. Edgar Woods should give his reasons for objecting to take the prescribed oath of allegiance. You are aware that General Kelley's brother-in-law *Not found. |