after ten days from date, on a day designated that would be most convenient, the prisoners held by General Taylor on the west bank to be sent to Donaldsonville or Bonnet Carre, or such other point as he may prefer, or Vicksburg. Will you please name a day and places for the exchange as soon as other arrangements are effected? May I ask you the favor to send back with my yacht some wounded men, which the want of possibility of transportation rendered it indispensable to leave upon the occasion of the late visit of a reconnoitering party to Ponchatoula. I have sent Lieutenant Wiegel, of my staff, to receive them, and have allowed Captain Blount, of the late Acting Brigadier-General Allen's staff, now a prisoner of war here, to go over with your flag in exchange - for Captain Thornton, who is of the same rank and wounded. The other wounded men will be considered in exchange. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, Brig. Gen. M. JEFF. THOMPSON. SIR: I am informed by Capt. A. O. Murphy, Louisiana Navy, a paroled prisoner of war, that Sergeant Stewart and Private Latham, both of the Sixth Regiment Michigan Volunteers, are now in your hands as prisoners of war. I have the honor to state that if you will release these men on parole and permit their return hither I will account for them in the general exchange of prisoners now being negotiated in this department. I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant, BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding Department of the Gulf. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, Brig. Gen. M. JEFF. THOMPSON, Commanding, &c. GENERAL: In another communication of this date I have proposed to you arrangements for an exchange of prisoners in courteous answer to your note, which I take leave to call attention was written me by your adjutant-general without the apology of your absence which I afterwards learned by the captured correspondence between you. There is, however, a grave difficulty in the way of a general exchange of prisoners so far as this department is concerned. General Taylor in a letter received the of which from accident I regret I am not able to give you a copy, has informed me that having captured 136 of the Eighth Vermont Regiment he proposes upon various pretenses set forth in his letter to except them from the cartel of exchange, and further threatens in certain contingencies therein set forth to take the lives of ten of them by lot. I send you a copy* of my reply to this extraordinary communication. You will see, general, at once that consistently with my duty to the men intrusted to my care I must see to it that not a hair of their heads is touched unjustly or wrongfully. While I hope and trust that General Taylor will reconsider his as it seems to me ill-judged deter * Omitted here; Butler to Taylor, September 10, Vol. 15, Series I, p. 565. mination I shall be under the necessity of holding the prisoners I have to await General Taylor's action in the premises. That General Taylor may have some personal feeling because of the deprivation of some property upon his plantation taken by my men, and for the loss of his father's sword which was found buried for safety under a barn in this city, I can readily understand, but that his private griefs should incite him to forget his duty as a soldier and do so great a wrong after full reflection I shall not believe unless constrained by the fact. Meanwhile I make no threats of retaliation, but deem it my duty to remain in position to protect the lives of my men and the honor of the United States. When I can be officially assured that all, every one of the men belonging to the Army of the Gulf held by General Taylor, or who have been captured from this army, will be returned in exchange I will send forward every prisoner of war I hold who desires to be exchanged in accordance with the propositions contained in my communications of this date. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, B. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, Brig. Gen. M. JEFF. THOMPSON, Commanding, &c. GENERAL: More than a year and four months ago a detachment of the U. S. Army was in some manner captured in Texas and are now held as prisoners of war there at a place called Camp Verde. Of this fact I have information, but of their numbers and regiment I have not the precise information but I believe about 300 men. As these pris oners are a part of the troops in the Department of the Gulf I conceive it my duty to request that these prisoners of war may be immediately forwarded to some convenient point for exchange. If this matter is not within your province, general, will you communicate this note to the proper parties so that some early action may be taken in the premises? I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding. WASHINGTON, September 17, 1862. Capt. JOHN C. CRANE, Assistant Quartermaster : General Wool will give orders in regard to the Harper's Ferry prisoners. If not permitted to serve they should march under such officers as may be with them to such point as General Wool designates. M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster-General. HEADQUARTERS SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION, Maj. Gen. T. C. HINDMAN, C. S. Army. GENERAL: I am in receipt of your communication of the 10th instant. In reply I desire to state, first, that I do not resort to newspaper state ments as primary authority in matters connected with the army, but so far as Poindexter is concerned I understand the facts to be that when arrested he was in citizen's garb at a private house and within our lines. If so he is by the laws of war a spy and should be treated accordingly. You direct my attention, secondly, to "these men termed guerrillas." By the well-settled acceptation of this term guerrillas are but robbers, horse thieves and assassins, men innocent of any honorable impulses, and their acts cannot be regarded as even the least excusable form of partisanship. They are triable before courts properly established in time of war and it convicted should be punished. In this light they are also regarded by many prominent men who have given in their adhesion to the so-called Southern Confederacy. I do not consider them entitled to treatment as prisoners of war. I do not understand that the hospital flag was in plain view when the man Chrysop as is alleged murdered an unarmed Confederate soldier acting at the time as a hospital attendant; but whatever the facts in this case may be I do not countenance robbery or murder. Permit me to state, however, in this connection that recently in Callaway County, in this State, a Federal hospital train with the appropriate flag flying was fired into in the daytime by guerrillas, one of the hospital attendants killed and several of the sick wounded. This affair occurred within a few miles of Jefferson City and the facts are known to me personally. The Government of the United States does not approve of such conduct as you impute to our "Indian auxiliaries," but let it be remembered that the initiative in acts of this description was taken by the Indians in the employ of Confederate authorities or at least under their control. Upon the battle-field at Pea Ridge Union prisoners of war were found scalped, and if necessary other enormities of a like nature can be cited. The old homily of the man in the glass-house I consider pertinent to the military authorities of the Confederate States. In conclusion allow me to state that with reference alike to your communication and its answer I will speak for myself only, not being specially empowered to speak for the Government. A respectful communication to the General-in-Chief of the armies of the United States will no doubt be answered respectfully. I have the honor to subscribe myself, JAS. TOTTEN, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding. P. S.-Since writing the above my attention has been called to the reputed action of the Confederate Senate by which it refused to accord to guerrillas the rights of honorable warfare. General THOMAS: DETROIT, September 17, 1862. What shall I do with small parties of Confederate prisoners? Shall they be collected at Cairo to go to Vicksburg at convenient opportunities? W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, Commanding, &c., Baltimore, Md. SIR: The Secretary of War directs that such of the prisoners last received from Richmond as are exchanged and fit for duty be at once sent to their regiments in detachments. The officers are exchanged. Those of the officers and men who belong to the three-months' regiments will be immediately discharged. Those not entitled to discharge among the exchanged prisoners who are sick will be properly cared for in the hospital and convalescent camp until able to join their regiments. It is supposed all the enlisted men last released from Richmond are exchanged. I am, sir, &c., L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. OFFICE OF THE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, Colonel HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, THOS. T. GANTT, Provost-Marshal-General, District of Missouri and Iowa. JOHNSON'S ISLAND, Near Sandusky City, Ohio, September 17, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington. SIR: I have the honor briefly to claim your attention to this communication. I have been a prisoner to the United States for the past three months at Camp Chase and at this prison. I am an officer in the Confederate Army and claim to be a prisoner of war. As such I was and am entitled to be exchanged by virtue of the cartel recently agreed upon between the United States and the Confederate Governments. I have repeatedly requested to know from the officers, my custodians, the reason of my unjust detention and have been promised from time to time that attention should be given to my reasonable request. I am charged "with being a Confederate officer" and to the charge I have pleaded guilty. I am at a loss to know why I am detained. The object of this communication is to respectfully request you to grant me a parole for thirty or sixty days to enable me to go to my Government and procure an exchange. This I know I can do. I rank in the Confederate Army as a colonel. I should in the event of a failure therein promptly report myself at the designated place. My protracted confinement has impaired my health, which was before bad. I have not been allowed the privilege of communicating with my Government. If this request could be complied with, sir, consistently with the service of your Government I should be exceedingly obliged. Trusting that I may receive an answer at your earliest convenience, I have the honor to be, sir, with high consideration, your obedient servant, J. CLAYTON MOREHEAD. SIR: I have the honor to indorse the representations of Colonel Morehead and am myself ignorant of the causes of the detention of any regular officer under guard at one of your prisons. I have the honor to inform you that I am a regular officer of the Confederate Army with the rank of captain. I would be happy to know the reasons, if there are any, why I am detained. Very respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, [Indorsement.] OLIVER A. PATTON. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Washington, December 9, 1862. Respectfully returned to the Secretary of War. Capt. Oliver A. Patton has been exchanged or paroled for exchange. He was sent from Johnson's Island to Vicksburg on the 22d ultimo. Colonel Morehead is held as a spy, having been captured at Owensborough, Ky., within our lines in citizen's dress. W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. ON BOARD GUN-BOAT LEXINGTON, Near Vicksburg, Miss., September 17, 1862. General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army. GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 8th instant addressed to me at Memphis, Tenn., informing me of the name of the agent of the Confederate States appointed to receive the prisoners of war and directing me to apply to Judge Hitchcock for instructions. Your telegram, general, was not received by me until yesterday, and I have been unable consequently to procure the instructions referred to or to be guided by other orders than those already given to me by Colonel Hoffman by your direction. With the highest respect, I am, general, your obedient servant, Colonel WHITELEY: FREDERICK, September 17, 1862. The entire Union force who were captured at Harper's Ferry have been arriving and passing through the town to-day. They are ordered to encamp near the Monocacy bridge, about three miles from the town. They are looking well and are greatly chagrined at the surrender of |