able citizens unlawfully and unjustly taken, as we think, would be a quasi recognition of your right to make such captures. Í trust therefore that the United States Government will unconditionally release all citizens of the Confederate States belonging to the class to which I have referred. There are now many matters demanding a meeting of the agents for exchange of the respective Governments. The length of this communication is proof of the difficulty of adjusting them by correspondence. I hope therefore that yourself or General Thomas will appear at Varina at an early day. I have directed that all your prisoners at the South shall forthwith be sent to Richmond and Vicksburg. In a short time we will have some two or three thousand at this place. I must request as a favor that you will send this communication or a copy to General Thomas. I have been too much hurried to prepare a copy for him.* Yours, respectfully, Adjutant-General L. THOMAS. ROBT. OULD, Agent for Exchange. FORT MONROE, October 5, 1862. GENERAL: A letter just received from Mr. Ould informs me that he had issued long ago an order for the delivery of General Prentiss at Vicksburg and that he will inquire into the matter immediately. Major Atwood (of Pope's officers) will be sent down by him on the next flagof truce boat. He was detained before by mistake. Four transports with Confederate prisoners from Fort Delaware went up to Aiken's Landing yesterday and to-day. A hospital steamer in the absence of the commodore was fitted up and also sent up. There are about 1,000 of our prisoners to come down. To what place shall they be sent? Mr. Wood, superintendent of the [Old] Capitol Prison, is here with a number of citizen prisoners for exchange under some special instructions from General Wadsworth. On the 19th September last a proposition was made to Mr. Ould by me with the approval of the Secretary of War and yourself for an exchange of all citizen prisoners held on each side without any formal negotiation as to their status. It is understood that the Confederate Government were ready to respond to it by an immediate delivery of prisoners. I have so informed Mr. Wood. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. LUDLOW, Lieutenant-Colonel, Inspector-General Seventh Army Corps. FORT MONROE, October 5, 1862. Adjutant-General THOMAS: Four transports with Confederate prisoners and a hospital steamer went up yesterday and to-day to Aiken's Landing and will bring down our prisoners. To what place shall they be sent? W. H. LUDLOW, *See Thomas to Stanton, October 14, p. 621. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, General ROBERT E. LEE, Commanding Army of Northern Virginia. GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2d instant in regard to the return of twenty-seven wagons and teams furnished by Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill for the use of certain paroled officers of the U. S. Army. These wagons and teams are now on their return from Washington and are expected here in two days. Upon their arrival I will send them immediately to such place as you may in the meantime be pleased to designate. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. NORTHEAST DIST. OF MISSOURI, II. Elliott D. Major, having once been in arms in rebellion against his lawful Government and having been pardoned for that offense and taken a solemn oath not to take up arms against the United States, was afterwards found in arms as a member of a guerrilla band and taken prisoner, and in accordance with the laws of war will be shot to death at or near Mexico, Mo., on Friday, the 10th instant, between the hours of 10 a. m. and 3 p. m., having incurred the just penalty of a violated parole and willful and intentional perjury. This sentence will be duly carried into execution by the commanding officer of the troops at Mexico, Mo., for which this shall be his warrant. By command of Brig. Gen. Lewis Merrill: GEO. M. HOUSTON, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General. OCTOBER 6, [1862.] Hon. S. DRAPER, Provost-Marshal-General, War Department. SIR: I have heretofore sent to the Adjutant-General lists of persons to whom the oath of allegiance has been administered in Western Virginia; lists of those who have given bond for their loyalty, the bonds being deposited with the clerk of the U. S. court for West Virginia; lists of those who have received permits to travel and have signed the conditions thereto attached; lists of those who have been paroled, &c. Shall these now be sent to you? I think I should be authorized to issue orders that no prisoner properly arrested in West Virginia should be released without report to me. This would secure to the Department full information of such matters here, prevent abuses and enable me to keep a complete record. Very respectfully, JOS. DARR, JR., Major and Provost-Marshal-General. NEAR SHARPSBURG, MD., October 7, 1862. Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK: As I have deemed it advisable the following circular has been this day published from these headquarters, viz: By direction of the commanding general all paroled rebel prisoners to be returned to the enemy's lines whether wounded or otherwise will not be permitted to pass our lines to the front. All such prisoners will be sent to Frederick, Md., thence via Baltimore to Fort Monroe for return within their own lines. By command of Major-General McClellan : Major-General HALLECK: S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. G. B. MCCLELLAN. JACKSON, TENN., October 7, 1862. What shall be done with prisoners taken in the late engagement? Our advance in pursuit followed enemy's main column into Jonesborough last night. I have ordered their return. U. S. GRANT, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA, Col. WILLIAM F. MARTIN, Commanding Division of Pamlico. SIR: Your communication of the 27th September, addressed to the commanding officer at Washington, was forwarded to me yesterday. I send to-day by flag of truce all the prisoners sent from Washington who are able to be moved at this time. I also send the ambulances and I beg leave to say that it was the intention of the commanding officer at Washington to send the ambulances with the first detachment of paroled wounded prisoners. This fact was communicated to the surgeon in your service at the time. The other wounded prisoners will be sent out soon as they are able to be moved. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. G. FOSTER, Major-General. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. W. S. PIERSON, Washington, D. C., October 7, 1862. Commanding Depot of Prisoners of War, Sandusky, Ohio. MAJOR: A report has been made to the War Department by Mr. A. W. Hendry, in part on his affidavit supported by the affidavit of James Conlon, both of Sandusky, that the rebel officers recently released from the Sandusky depot were permitted to purchase full suits of uniform to the number of 500, more or less, and that many of them wore this clothing when they left the island; that it was obtained from Sandusky, Columbus, New York and other cities, and that pat=terns and measures were sent through the mails from the island for these articles. Mr. Hendry states further that after the baggage had been started South a guard from the island was sent after it and took from it about a car-load of Government property consisting of blankets, shoes and other articles. Please make me immediately a full report on this subject, giving all the particulars; if clothing of the kind stated was obtained say where from, from whom it was purchased, the quantity and how it was obtained. Establish your reports by affidavits. I will be in Detroit on Wednesday. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 153. WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, The headquarters of Col. William Hoffman, Third Infantry, commissary-general of prisoners, is transferred from Detroit, Mich., to Washington, D. C. By order of the Secretary of War: L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Major-General GRANT, Jackson: Prisoners of war will be paroled and delivered to the enemy at some point within his lines. A receipted list must be taken in duplicate, and one copy sent to the Adjutant-General in order to effect an exchange. * H. W. HALLECK, HDQRS. SEVENTH ARMY CORPS, DEPT. OF VIRGINIA, Adjutant-General L. THOMAS. GENERAL: The transports have just returned here from Aiken's Landing bringing 718 of our released paroled prisoners, there being about twenty officers among them and not over 100 sick and wounded. The well have been sent according to your orders to Annapolis. There were delivered at Aiken's Landing of the Confederates 2,192 enlisted men, 82 officers and 19 contrabands, all sent from Fort Delaware. All the descriptive lists of the above with paroles annexed are here. Inclosed I send to you a letter* from Mr. Ould a copy of which I have retained. The frequency alluded to of sending up the flag of truce has been made necessary by the sending here without notice from places at the North of small detachments of prisoners, and there being no place of confinement here but the guard-house, Fort Wool having been transferred over to the engineer department. There will be no difficulty in arranging the matter of exchange of citizen prisoners. The complaint made by Mr. Ould is based upon the abuse by subordinate officers of their military power in making arbitrary arrests. The same abuse existed in this department until abolished * Omitted here; see Ould to Ludlow, October 5, p. 600. 7 by Major-General Dix. As the attention and action of the Government will be invited to and upon the several other points of Mr. Ould's comi munication it would probably be indelicate or improper for me to offer : any suggestions. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. LUDLOW, Lieut. Col., Assistant Inspector-General Seventh Army Corps. P. S.-The nineteen contrabands sent from Fort Delaware to Aiken's Landing were represented by the officer in charge as having been taken on or near the battle-field and acting as teamsters. They insisted upon being sent. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI, Camp Blunt, October 8, 1862. Brigadier-General BLUNT, Commanding Kansas Division. GENERAL: In reply to your communication of this date the general commanding directs me to say that it is his intention to send a flag of truce for the purpose of perfecting an exchange of prisoners as soon as he is in a position to do so. You will please make out a list of prisoners in your hands subject to exchange, as also the names of our men now held as prisoners by the enemy, and forward to these headquarters. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, C. C. ALLEN, Major and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. SAINT PAUL, MINN., October 9, 1862. Major-General HALLECK: The Sioux war may be considered at an end. We have about 1,500 prisoners, men, women and children, and many are coming every day to deliver themselves up. Many are being tried by military commission for being connected in the late horrible outrages and will be executed. I have disarmed all and will bring them down to Fort Snelling until the Government shall decide what to do with them. I have seized and am trying a number of Winnebagoes who were engaged with the Sioux. The cavalry forces marched immediately for the Yankton village and will arrest the perpetrators of the murders at Spirit Lake. Posts must be kept up along the frontier this winter to induce the settlers to go back. They are already returning in large numbers. It will in all views be advisable in the spring to make strong military demonstrations on the plains. The Indians are greatly terrified. I have destroyed all the fields and property of the Sioux. An expedition must be made to Red Lake as soon as possible. I am sending one into the Chippewa country. JOHN POPE. LOUISVILLE, KY., October 9, 1862. General L. THOMAS, Washington. GENERAL: On the 21st of August I was unfortunate enough to be taken prisoner in an affair at Gallatin where the greater portion of my |