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HEADQUARTERS, Richmond, November 1. 1862.

Brig. Gen. H. A. WISE,

Commanding, &c., Chaffin's Bluff.

GENERAL: Inclosed you will find copy of my letter to Mr. Ould, commissioner for exchange of prisoners. The "restrictions" and "purposes" were understood by the commissioner and myself, and the guard were to allow the commissioner to pass whatever he, the commissioner, might direct, I having given to him my views in regard to the matter. The guard was asked for by the commissioner in order to preserve order. He, the commissioner, had up to that time the entire control, and from the nature of his office and duties must still necessarily be allowed certain discretion. Mr. Aiken, I am informed by Mr. Ould, is the Government agent for supplying commissary stores to the paroled prisoners, and Mr. Aiken's son has assisted Major Ould in his official duties. You will see from my letter to Major Ould, copy of which is sent with this, the extent of his authority (from me) beyond what is strictly official. I write amidst interruptions and discussions of all sorts and grades. General French telegraphs that the enemy crossed the Blackwater in force yesterday, again threatening Petersburg and Weldon. I remain, respectfully and truly, yours,

G. W. SMITH,
Major-General.

P. S.-It is expected that the place for delivery of paroled and exchanged prisoners will be changed to City Point, which will be a relief to all. I shall try to go down to Varina Landing soon and will call and see you to look at your new lines as soon as I can get off for a few hours.

[Inclosure.]

G. W. S.

HEADQUARTERS, Richmond, October 28, 1862.

Major OULD, Commissioner for Exchange of Prisoners.

MAJOR: I find that the indulgence granted to Mr. Aiken, at your special request, is producing difficulty and confusion. I am therefore under the necessity of requesting that you will say to him that it can no longer be continued. The "restrictions" and "purposes" of your passes must hereafter be limited to official matters only, excluding the indulgence allowed to Mr. Aiken at your request, viz, that of getting small quantities of family supplies in consideration of the great inconvenience and trouble to which he has been subjected in consequence of the use of his property and premises for the convenience of exchanging prisoners. I send with this several communications from General Wise which after reading please return.

G. W. SMITH,
Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND DISTRICT,
Vicksburg, November 1, 1862.

Maj. J. R. WADDY, Assistant Adjutant-General:

I have the honor to report that in accordance with a dispatch from General Pemberton four Federal prisoners have been selected by lot as hostages for the Confederates seized in Tennessee. Their names are

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James E. Gaddy, Company E, Sixth Illinois Cavalry; Bernard Collins,
Company E, Thirty-ninth Ohio Infantry; A. M. Shipman, Company D,
Forty-third Ohio Infantry; Nicholas Hoit, Company C, Seventh Iowa
Infantry.

I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
M. L. SMITH,
Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Col. J. E. TOOLE,

CHATTANOOGA, TENN., November 1, 1862.

Provost-Marshal's Department, Knoxville, Tenn.:

Yours of the instant advising me of the parole given to Messrs. Dame, Rogers, Dame, Noe and Rogers came duly to hand. The abovenamed reported to me on their arrival. By order of Brigadier-General Helm, commanding post, I proceeded to Murfreesborough for the purpose of assisting the exchange, and upon reporting to Major-General Breckinridge, commanding that department, who informed me that there was no precedent for such exchange, and if permitted would result in the arrest of citizens indiscriminately in such portions of the Confederacy as the enemy may hold, and that no permits could be granted to pass the lines for any such purpose, I returned to this post last evening and reported to General Helm, who will refer the matter to major-general commanding department.

Very respectfully,

CHAS. W. PEDEN, Captain and Deputy Provost-Marshal.

P. S.-General Helm approved the paroles given and the parties are now at home.

C. W. P.

General G. T. BEAUREGARD.

RICHMOND, November 2, 1862.

DEAR GENERAL: You telegraphed me some short time ago to know whether anything had been done toward effecting the exchange of Soulé. A proposition has been recently made by our Government to Mr. Wood, the Yankee commissioner of exchanges, who has been in Richmond, to the effect that if the Yankees would give up Mr. Soulé and Colonel Thomas Zarvona we would give up two Yankee spies whom we have here under sentence of death. Mr. Wood was quite favorable to the proposition, but had no authority to act. He promised to urge its adoption upon his Government, however. Colonel Ould, our commissioner, told me yesterday that Wood had fallen into disgrace with the abolition Government in Washington (probably because he may have written truthfully of what he has heard and seen in Richmond, or because he may have refused to play spy within our lines) and that they intend to repudiate all his official acts. If this be true, it is not at all likely that the proposition alluded to concerning Soulé and Thomas, if favorably recommended by Wood, would meet the approbation of Lincoln.

*

Very truly, yours,

WM. PORCHER MILES.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND DISTRICT,
Vicksburg, November 2, 1862.

Maj. J. R. WADDY, Assistant Adjutant-General.

MAJOR: In compliance with your telegraphic order dated yesterday two Vermont prisoners of war have been selected by lot and closely confined subject to your further orders, viz, Edwin Spear, Company G, Eighth Vermont; C. R. Wills, Company G, Eighth Vermont.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

M. L. SMITH, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF WEST TENNESSEE,
Holly Springs, Miss., November 4, 1862.

General S. PRICE, Commanding Army of the West.

GENERAL: The general commanding directs that you detail an officer to proceed to Jackson, Miss., with all paroled Confederate prisoners of your corps and report to General Gregg. A complete roll, giving place taken, when, where and by whom paroled, regiment, camp, &c., will be sent with the officer, to be turned over with the prisoners. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. L. LOMAX, Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Inspector-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
No. 142.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT No. 2,
Knoxville, Tenn., November 5, 1862.

IV. A camp will be forthwith established at Chattanooga for the reception of paroled prisoners, officers and men, who will report with the least possible delay to the commander of the same. Lieut. S. M. McIntosh, Company E, Twenty-seventh Mississippi Volunteers, is hereby appointed to the command of said camp. He will report daily to these headquarters the names of all persons reporting to him, stating their company and regiment to which they belong, when and where captured and paroled. Maj. Moses J. Wicks, assistant commissary of subsistence, is appointed commissary of said camp and is authorized to draw and issue the subsistence authorized by law on the requisition of the commanding officer of the camp. By command of General Bragg:

GEORGE WM. BRENT,

Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS, Tallahassee, November 6, 1862.

Brig. Gen. THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General.

SIR: I have the honor to report the recapture of three abolitionist prisoners who made their escape from Macon, Ga. They were apprehended by our pickets on the Apalachicola River on their way to the gun-boats of the enemy. Names, J. W. Woolley, Company B, Sixteenth Regiment Illinois Volunteers; James Baldwin, Twenty-third Missouri Volunteers, captured at Shiloh; Charles Hood, sailor, captured on the Aucilla River, Fla.

In addition to the above I have a Spaniard who was wounded at Crystal River, where our men killed the captain and two of the crew

of the blockading vessel and captured at the same time the balance of the boat's crew that landed. This man was shot through the body; he is now well enough to be exchanged; his name is Frank Russell. I respectfully ask instructions where I shall send these men.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

SPECIAL ORDERS,}

JOSEPH FINEGAN, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE WEST,
Holly Springs, November 6, 1862.

I. Any commissary is directed to furnish subsistence to paroled Confederate prisoners upon the order of Maj. F. L. Hubbell, Third Missouri Infantry, in whose charge those prisoners have been placed. II. Transportation will be furnished upon the order of Maj. F. L. Hubbell, Third Missouri Infantry, for paroled Confederate prisoners to Jackson, Miss., by any post or brigade quartermaster. By order of Major-General Price:

JAMES M. LOUGHBOROUGH,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

RICHMOND, VA., November 8, 1862.

Lieut. Col. CHARLES LAFFON DE LADIBAT, Richmond, Va,

SIR: I have received the petition of the French Legion of New Orleans of which you were bearer and would be greatly gratified to aid in the liberation of the Hon. Pierre Soulé, now confined in close prison by the United States Government in violation of the usages of civilized warfare. I know of no method, however, in which I can assist you in the mission you have assumed. I hope it will be successful; but if not please convey to the officers of the Legion the assurance that Mr. Soule's captivity in common with that of many others of our citizens now confined in Northern prisons is a constant subject of solicitude to this Government and that no proper efforts will be spared to secure his release.

Very respectfully, yours, &c.,

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT No. 2,
Knoxville, Tenn., November 8, 1862.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, Va.

SIR: I have the honor to forward to-day lists of U. S. prisoners captured and paroled by my command during the recent Kentucky campaign, amounting in the aggregate to 4,848, viz:

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This is exclusive of those captured by General E. K. Smith's command before the forces were united and also of some 600 or 700 captured by Major-General Withers' division on the 7th of October, returns of which have not yet been made to me. Duplicates of these lists have been forwarded to Vicksburg.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
BRAXTON BRAGG,

General, Commanding.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,

SPECIAL ORDERS,
No. 237.

November 9, 1862.

I. All prisoners, officers and men, delivered at Aiken's Bluff, below Richmond, up to the 8th of November are exchanged and will immedi ately join their commands.

By command of General R. E. Lee:

A. P. MASON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

RICHMOND, VA., November 10, 1862.

Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War.

SIR: I am requested by the President to inform you that in a letter received by him he is credibly informed that certain paroled prisoners of war have been placed by General Butler in close custody in the neighborhood of New Orleans, and to give you their names that you may take proper measures for their exchange according to the cartel. They are:

1. Captain McLean, late of McCulloch Rangers.

2. Captain Losberg, captain of the De Feriet Guards, of the Chalmette Regiment.

3. Captain Batchelor, of Third [First] Regiment Louisiana Regulars. These officers were paroled by Commodore Farragut, but are held in prison by Butler.

4. Capt. W. E. Seymour, who was in commission in the service of the State of Louisiana, and a paroled prisoner.

Besides the above there are a number of privates, among them Mr. Davidson, of New Orleans, who were members of corps of partisan rangers enlisted in our service, and who are held by Butler on the pretext that they are guerrillas and not in our service. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

[Indorsement.]

Secretary of State.

NOVEMBER 12, 1862.

ROBERT OULD, Esq.:

You will present these facts to the enemy's agent and inform him that unless an answer is returned to your various demands and also to the demand of this Government in reference to the execution of Mumford, in New Orleans, which the United States promised to answer in June last, all commissioned officers in our hands will be retained. You will also inform him that fifteen days from the delivery of this note will be allowed for an answer, after which we shall consider the answer delivered and proceed accordingly. You will report the response.

G. W. R.

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