HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF EAST TENNESSEE, Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.: Has any arrangement been made between the two Governments for exchange of prisoners of war? If so what are the terms of the cartel! E. KIRBY SMITH, Major-General, Commanding. BALTIMORE, June 24, 1862. Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va. SIR: I have the honor to state that upon my arrival at this place yesterday I called upon Major-General Wool and showed to him your communication to myself with reference to an exchange and in which you authorized me to state to him that if he will name an officer and appoint a time and place of meeting you will do the same. The officers so appointed to be empowered by their respective Governments to agree upon a cartel for a general exchange of all prisoners of war. I also showed to him your memorandum and endeavored to explain to him the misunderstanding between yourself and him. I also left for his perusal the printed document which you furnished to me. I inclose herewith a memorandum from him in which he expresses himself ready to agree to the cartel of 1812-1815, but declined verbally to send an officer as you proposed, stating that he could not do so without consulting his Government. He thinks that a plain and definite proposal should come from you to him, stating exactly what the Confederate States are willing to agree to. He requested me to write to you, declining to write himself. as no communication was sent to him directly from you. I would respectfully suggest that a cartel be agreed to and signed by you and forwarded for the acceptance of the Secretary of War of the United States. General Wool informed me that the notification of the release of Wood for Patton had been received by him. I am, sir, very respectfully, G. B. COSBY, [Inclosure.] HEADQUARTERS, Baltimore, June 24, 1862. Major-General Wool would inform Major Cosby that he has ever been ready to exchange all prisoners of war, according to the cartel agreed upon in the war of 1812-1815 between the United States and Great Britain and as set forth in the letter of Major-General Huger on the 3d of May last, when General Wool sent the privateersmen to be paroled or exchanged for the prisoners of war called hostages. Lest there should be any hesitation on the subject of parole he sent the cartel with Lieutenant-Colonel Whipple to make the exchanges as indicated in that instrument. SPECIAL ORDERS, Į ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, VII. Capt. John M. Galt, commanding, &c., at Lynchburg, Va., will stop for the present the shipment of flour, corn and bacon and cattle From Lynchburg and impress so much as may be necessary for the subsistence of troops and prisoners of war, paying the owners in certificates of the impressment or paying market prices. * By command of the Secretary of War: JNO. WITHERS, Assistant Adjutant-General. ROCKY MOUNT, N. C., June 24, 1862. Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va. SIR: Pardon me for again calling your attention to the case of my son, Lieut. William Biggs, who is one of the Hatteras prisoners on parole. The peculiar circumstances of his case is my apology for intruding upon your time and attention. Since he was paroled his company has organized for the war (it originally being a twelve-months' company) and he was elected first lieutenant. Upon the organization of the regiment (the Seventeenth North Carolina, Colonel Martin), now in camp between Goldsborough and New Berne, the captain of his company (Captain Lamb) has been elected lieutenant-colonel, by which my son becomes captain, but he cannot act until he is exchanged. The officers and men are very anxious to retain him and he is very desirous to remain with the company with whom he has been associated since 1st May, 1861, in battle and in prison. From some recent paragraphs in the newspapers we have indulged the hope that partial exchanges are being made with some expectation of a general exchange. My son's company needs his services now and I have advised him that it is due to the company that he should abandon his position rather than cripple the company by holding on. He has tendered his resignation but it is declined for the present with a hope that in the next ten days the exchange may be effected. I know the difficulty of doing anything on such a subject while a battle is expected every day in the neighborhood of Richmond, but I understand flags of truce occasionally pass to negotiate about exchanges. I hope you will excuse this letter and the request I now make, that you would inform me whether there is any probability that my son can be exchanged soon. With high regard, I am, your obedient servant, ASA BIGGS. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 45. WAR DEPARTMENT, * II. Medical officers taken prisoners of war by the armies of the Confederate States will be immediately and unconditionally discharged. III. The Government of the United States having recognized the principle that medical officers should not be held as prisoners of war, and having ordered the immediate and unconditional release of all medical officers now on parole so held, all medical officers of the ConFederate States now on parole are hereby discharged from their parole. By command of the Secretary of War: S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF EAST TENNESSEE, General S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, Va. GENERAL: I send to Richmond to-day upon parole Maj. W. A. Coffey, First Kentucky Cavalry, a prisoner captured some time since by Col. J. H. Morgan and paroled by him as a prisoner of war. Major Coffey repaired to Washington and endeavored to effect his exchange, but failing returned and delivered himself up to Colonel Morgan. He has been in this city for some time past and had too much opportunity for informing himself about the affairs of this military department and the temper of the citizens for him to be prudently exchanged at this time. It is just to add that Major Coffey bears a very high character as a gentleman and soldier, and it is with regret that I am constrained to request that any arrangement for his exchange be for the present postponed. I am, general, your obedient servant, E. KIRBY SMITH, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF EAST TENNESSEE, Brig. Gen. D. LEADBETTER, Commanding, &c., Chattanooga, Tenn. Knoxville, June 27, 1862. GENERAL: Maj. W. A. Coffey, a prisoner of war upon parole, having been to day sent on to Richmond, Va., the major-general commanding directs that you permit Thomas Douglas (who brought Major Coffey from Columbia, Tenn., to Chattanooga) to go upon his return home with his carriage and horses beyond our lines. He will return the same route by which he came, and will be first sworn to make no communication to the enemy involving the welfare of the Confederacy, and particularly to give them no intelligence of the character, number and disposition of our troops. You will also deliver to him the accompanying bundle of letters, all of which are unsealed, with a written statement that they were received by Major Coffey under the impression he would very soon be sent upon parole beyond our lines, and that nearly all of them were examined by him; and further that Major Coffey requests the officer who may receive them to forward them to their respective destinations. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. L. CLAY, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF EAST TENNESSEE, Maj. W. A. COFFEY, First Kentucky Cavalry, U. S. Army. MAJOR: The major-general commanding this military department directs that as a prisoner of war upon parole you proceed immediately to Richmond, Va. Upon arrival at that place you will report in person to General S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General C. S. Army, and await his orders. I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, SALT POND, GILES COUNTY, VA., June 27, 1862. Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War. SIR: On the 29th of January last I was paroled by Brigadier-General Rosecrans for exchange as a prisoner of war. The nature of parole will fully appear by reference to a letter addressed to yourself by Colonel Willey and myself about the 27th of March last. At that time negotiations for exchange of prisoners of war were suspended. On the 31st of March you addressed a letter to me informing me that the President would not consent to my return to captivity according to the terms of my parole, for reasons therein stated. On the 14th of May I called again at your office and was then informed that I had not yet been exchanged, but that negotiations were again opened and it was thought a system of exchange would be agreed upon very soon. My parole and the letter aforesaid is in your office and you will see that my parole was limited. I am doing nothing for the good of my country while in my present condition. If the reason for my compulsory detention has ceased to exist I want to be exchanged or to receive passports to return to my captors in conformity to the terms of my parole. The individual designated in my parole to be returned for me was Lieutenant-Colonel Neff, of the Second Kentucky Regiment. I am now in the vicinity of the force with which I was acting nearly twelve months since when captured. I hope to be able to render some service, and if any regard is paid to the date of capture in exchanging prisoners let me have the benefit of that preference. If I can receive a certificate of exchange according to my parole or a passport for return to my captors be pleased to forward it to me at Giles CourtHouse, Va., care of Col. Peter C. Buffington. My condition is extremely embarrassing to me and I beg of the Department to act in my behalf. Yours, most respectfully, MILTON J. FERGUSON. [First indorsement.] I wish to see his letter of March 27. [Second indorsement.] [G. W. R.] The file room cannot find anything except the inclosures. I find letter written to Mr. F. telling him that he could not be exchanged until the enemy should make due return for men already released and that General Wool would be informed of the fact and reasons for the compulsory detention. [Third indorsement.] [McG.] Inform him that the enemy have agreed to a general exchange and that communications were interrupted by the recent operations before Richmond. [Inclosure No. 1.] G. W. R. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, March 26, 1862. Honorable SECRETARY OF WAR. SIR: You can place the most implicit confidence in the inclosed statement* of Colonels Willey and Ferguson and Private Spurlock. I know them well. The two latter are my constituents. I am myself personally cognizant of nearly everything stated by these three gentlemen. *Not found. Allow me to beg the most speedy action in this matter. You kindly promised this morning to call the attention of the President to the case. Your predecessor sent a communication to our body containing a suggestion that Congress should pass a resolution declaring our officers now here on parole from the enemy released therefrom. I do not see much prospect of proper and timely relief in this quarter. In great haste, yours, respectfully, [Indorsement.] A. G. JENKINS. Inform Mr. Jenkins of letter to Messrs. Willey, &c., and its purport. [G. W. R.] [Inclosure No. 2.] RICHMOND, VA., March 28, 1862. Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.: On the 26th instant the Secretary of War asked of us to submit to him a written statement of our cases as paroled prisoners, which we did. We now solicit a prompt decision that we either return to our captors or that we are exchanged, and if we return to our captors that our passports be furnished us. Respectfully, WILLIAM J. WILLEY. MILTON J. FERGUSON, BALTIMORE, June 28, 1862. Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES. DEAR SIR: On to-day I called upon Major-General Wool. I showed him the letter you addressed to me stating the reasons why no more special exchanges would be made. He says that he has been and is now in favor of and authorized to make a general exchange. That he is willing to make a general exchange by the cartel adopted between the United States and Great Britain in the war of 1812, or he is willing to make a new cartel. That when he sent the privateersmen up to City Point he sent with the officer who had them in charge that cartel, i. e., the one adopted between himself and General Cobb. That he has had no answer from our Government on the subject. Further, he says that he cannot write to your Department in answer to a letter directed to me or any third party. That inasmuch as his letters have not been answered he thinks the initiative ought to come from you and that he is ready to respond to any proposition made to him by you for a general exchange and parole of prisoners of war. Respectfully, H. H. ROBERTSON. P. S.-My destination is Fort Delaware. I start by first boat. H. H. R. General R. E. LEE, WAR DEPARTMENT, Richmond, June 29, 1862. Commanding Department of Northern Virginia. GENERAL: When you send a flag of truce again there are two mat ters which I wish you to bring to the notice of the general in command of the U. S. forces for the consideration of his Government. |