As there are several men still within your lines who were taken prisoners at Fort Macon I would be glad to know if you intend to hold them as citizens as stated above by Major Hoffman or send them beyond your lines in accordance with the cartel of exchange. I would be glad if you would send beyond your lines for exchange George F. Hurst, Sixteenth Regiment North Carolina Militia, taken prisoner at New Berne and now on parole within the limits of the town of New Berne. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. G. MARTIN, Brigadier-General. ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Col. WILLIAM HOFFMAN, Detroit, Mich. : Are any of the officers and men of the Missouri State Guard now held in confinement at Johnson's Island or elsewhere; and if so, why have they not been sent home on parole? L. THOMAS, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Governor O. P. MORTON, Indianapolis, Ind.: Your Excellency can do nothing to hasten the exchange of Indiana prisoners. I will do all that can be done. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War: LOUISVILLE, October 14, 1862. In late battle at Perryville I was disabled temporarily and taken prisoner. I shall be ready for duty in a few days. Am most anxious to rejoin my command. Cannot my exchange be effected at once? Colonel Scott, Louisiana cavalry, of my rank, is said to be a prisoner. Please answer me at Cincinnati. HEADQUARTERS, Camp Chase, October 14, 1862. Col. W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. COLONEL: I have to acknowledge receipt of your communication of the 11th instant. In reply: 1. The paroled prisoners have been removed by Major-General Wallace from this post to Camp Wallace and placed under command of Brigadier-General Cooper. I will notify General Cooper concerning Private John Williams. 2. Please send me by express 200 blank rolls; we are out of them and as soon as they arrive will have rolls made up for you of each detachment of prisoners sent for exchange, including forty-nine forwarded last night and including the last detachment to Johnson's Island under Captain Moon. 3. The caps named will be turned over to the post quartermaster for troops and his receipt taken for them. Herewith please notice estimate* for clothing for prisoners under my charge. This estimate is based upon the supposition that the number and condition of the prisoners will be about the same through the winter as now-say from 700 to 900 in number. Many of them are very needy now, and I would suggest that - what clothing is allowed them be ordered so as to arrive as quickly as possible. Very respectfully, colonel, your obedient servant, Major Governor's Guards, Commanding Post. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, October 15, 1862. Governor TOD, Columbus, Ohio: The order suspending the writ of habeas corpus applies to all cases of imprisonment or detention by military authority, and under no consideration can the writ of habeas corpus be allowed to release or interfere with soldiers in camp. Whatever power is required should be exerted to recover the soldiers taken from Camp Chase and to prevent similar proceedings in future. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. HEADQUARTERS, Louisville, October 15, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War: What shall be done with the negro slaves captured with the Third Georgia Cavalry? Can the prisoners take them or sell them or shall they be turned loose? Lieutenant-Colonel LUDLOW, J. T. BOYLE, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Inspector-General, Fort Monroe, Va.: I expected to leave to-day to meet Mr. Ould but shall certainly go down in a day or two. I do not wish you to make any exchanges till I arrive. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Capt. H. W. FREEDLEY, Detroit, Mich., October 15, 1862. Assistant Commissary-General of Prisoners. CAPTAIN: You will proceed to Camp Chase, near Columbus, Ohio, and make an examination into the condition of the military and politi cal prisoners confined there and also as to the manner in which the *Not found. duties of the guard are performed. You will consult with the commanding officer, Major Zinn, as to the number of employés necessary for the office and other duties connected with the charge of the pris oners, and see that only what are indispensably necessary are employed, and that not over 40 cents extra per day be allowed unless for special reasons and with my approbation. Require that the Farmer boilers shall be used for cooking purposes, and if they are needed direct those purchased at Camp Butler for the use of prisoners to be sent to Camp Chase. Inquire on what scale rations are issued and see that nothing more than is necessary be allowed. Examine into the condition of the funds and the manner of keeping accounts. Ascertain if there are any irregular military prisoners held at Camp Chase and obtain their numbers and organizations. Major Zinn may, if necessary, purchase a small safe for the use of his office and a part of the compensation for the mail carrier may be paid out of the prisoners' fund. On completing this service you will report to me in Washington, D. C. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. HEADQUARTERS, Fort Monroe, Va., October 15, 1862. Adjt. Gen. L. THOMAS. GENERAL: I have just received your telegram of this date. No exchanges have been made by me since I last saw you, as I thought it better to act under your specific direction in making them. Besides, the information and papers here were not specific enough to act understandingly upon. Another detachment of paroled Confederate prisoners, 198 in number, go up to Aiken's Landing to day. They were sent here from Baltimore. I am, very respectfully,&c., WM. H. LUDLOW, Lieutenant-Colonel. SAINT LOUIS, October 15, 1862. Maj. H. Z. CURTIS, Assistant Adjutant-General. SIR: I addressed Major-General Curtis on the 13th instant on the subject of the indefiniteness of the powers and duties of the provostmarshal-general. The inclosed letter from the commissary general of prisoners shows a very inconvenient conflict between his authority and mine and illustrates the necessity of a definition of doubtful powers. If there be anything which is essential to the due administration of this office it is the control of the military prisons within the district. I cannot perceive how I can exercise any authority over the prison at Gratiot street if I have no power over that at Alton. Both are equally within my district. Alton is as much within the Department of the Missouri as is Saint Louis. There are many prisoners at Alton who will be discharged on parole and bond-some on parole alone and some unconditionally-as soon as their cases can be reached and examined. If these persons are to be retained until the Secretary of War can examine into the cause of their detention their case is very pitiable. * Omitted here; Hoffman to Gantt, October 13, p. 618. 40 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV Under these circumstances I solicit instructions from the major-general commanding as to the authority I may exercise over the Alton Military Prison. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Provost-Marshal-General District of Missouri and Iowa. OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, Col. WILLIAM HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners, Detroit, Mich. SIR: I have just received your letter of 13th instant. The view you take of the control of the prisons within this district will lead to much inconvenience. I have not been furnished with the orders you mention from the War Department and was not aware of them, but an order issued by Major-General Halleck in July last expressly placed all the military prisons within this district under charge of this office. This district then included Alton, as it still does. The same rule which would exclude me from control of the Alton Military Prison would deprive me of all authority over the Gratiot Street Military Prison. There are now at Alton a number of prisoners sent there merely because of the overcrowded condition of the Gratiot Street Prison. As fast as I can I examine into the evidence against these persons and in many instances find no cause for detaining them if they will give their parole and bond for future good behavior. To detain these pris oners until the War Department can act upon their cases will be the occasion of very disproportioned imprisonment. In no case have prisoners been sent to Alton from this office without a full list setting forth the charge and evidence, but numbers have been sent from Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas directly in which as I learn this has been neglected. I speak of this office only since it has been under my charge. Of course if it be determined that the Alton Prison is not under my control no further permits to visit it will be given by this office. On this head I shall seek the instructions of the major-general commanding the department, which includes Alton. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, THOS. T. GANTT, Colonel and Provost-Marshal-General for Missouri, Iowa and Alton. EXECUTIVE OFFICE, Iowa City, October 16, 1862. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Washington City, D. C. SIR: Allow me again to call your attention to the officers and men from this State taken prisoners at Belmont and Shiloh and to solicit your good offices for their speedy exchange. Quite a number of privates of the Eighth, Twelfth and Fourteenth Iowa Regiments have been paroled and have been in Benton Barracks for some time. Can't they be exchanged and be put to service? I trust the multiplicity of affairs pressing on your attention will not prevent this matter from receiving early consideration. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, SAMUEL J. KIRKWOOD, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. STERLING PRICE, or OFFICER COMMANDING CONFEDERATE FORCES. SIR: I send this letter under a flag of truce by Lieutenant-Colonel , Ducat, Captains Goddard and Lyford of my staff. 1. I desire to call your attention to the practice which I am credibly informed exists at some of the posts of your army of detailing paroled prisoners sent hence within the Confederate lines for exchange as provost guards and for other services in garrison of military nature. This is a violation of the conditions of the parole which I feel assured is not sanctioned by lawful authority, and I respectfully ask official assurance thereof and that prompt orders to arrest and instructions be given to prevent the practice in future. 2. I am credibly informed that neither full nor adequate rations are given to our prisoners of war in your garrisons, and they are confined with negroes and every promiscuous character. Such a practice is inhuman, unsoldierly and I cannot believe sanctioned by your authority. I beg to receive your official assurance thereof and that you will prohibit such conduct and order in future our prisoners to be fed and housed (as we do yours taken by us) properly. 3. I respectfully ask, if it be practicable, that you send in or release the prisoners now held by your authorities named in the accompanying lists, for which we will send or release an equal number of your choice according to the rules laid down in the cartel of exchange agreed upon by Generals Hill and Dix. 4. I desire personally to express my gratification at the reports from = prisoners of your regular army that you condemn the barbarous and demoralizing practice of encouraging partisan or guerrilla warfare, where by specious means bands of armed men are let loose upon the 1 country with the instincts and the means for the exercise of lawless power and with few if any of the restraints of military rule. Such troops demoralize and desolate a country and without decisive measures reduce their adversaries to the necessity of treating its harmless inhabitants with the same rigor as if their houses were little forts and themselves in a beleagured city. I trust the abhorrence and detestation with which I view the cruel consequences of raising and encouraging such a mosquito army is fully shared in by yourself and all honorable officers in the Confederate service, and that you agree with me in this connection that no good cause can be greatly helped or bad cause long sustained by such lawless and uncivilized means. War is horrible enough without painting its ugly front with bloody and disgusting disfigurements of savagery. I shall be much pleased to convey assurances of your sentiments on this matter to all concerned. 5. I beg to state for the better accommodation of the sick and wounded Confederate prisoners I have sent them to Inka and have detailed some able-bodied prisoners to police the garrison. We supply them with good rations and medical stores and to the medical attendants what is needful. We do not wish to occupy Iuka with a garrison, but desire it and the road to it to be considered within our lines and that your troops be forbidden to enter or meddle with it until it shall be practicable for you to take care of the hospitals and we be notified and consent to the occupation of the place by Confederate forces. This has been rendered necessary by the coming of squads of Roddey's or other irregular |