[Inclosure.] List of all articles purchased for the use of the prisoners at Camp Chase, none of which are paid for. I certify that this is a correct list of all articles bought by my direction for the use of the prisoners at Camp Chase. H. M: LAZELLE, Captain, Eighth Infantry, U. S. Army. GENERAL ORDERS, Į HEADQUARTERS EIGHTH ARMY CORPS, No. 22. } Baltimore, Md., August 10, 1862. No citizen shall be arrested within the limits of this army corps upon charges of disloyalty or treasonable practices unless such charges shall be submitted in writing and the truth of the same attested under oath by the person preferring them, and no such prisoner will be received for confinement by any provost-marshal, marshal of police or commandant of post unless accompanied by the charges above described or a copy of the same. By command of Major-General Wool: WM. D. WHIPPLE, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. MILITARY DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON, D. C., Brig. Gen. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, [JAMES S. WADSWORTH,] Brigadier-General. * Not found. HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, DEPT. OF EAST TENNESSEE, Brig. Gen. G. W. MORGAN, Commanding U. S. Forces at Cumberland Gap. GENERAL: Your communication of yesterday* in reply to my proposition for exchange of prisoners has been received. As you had previously addressed a communication on the subject to Maj. Gen. E. Kirby Smith, commanding Department of East Tennessee, it is proper that I should wait his action thereon; otherwise it would give me great pleasure to make an equitable exchange of prisoners to-day. I have the honor to be, general, with great respect, your obedient servant, C. L. STEVENSON, Brigadier-General, Commanding. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington. SIR: The jurisdiction of the provost-marshal at Wheeling, Maj. Joseph Darr, jr., is not well defined, and I have respectfully to request that in all posts in Western Virginia lying within the Mountain Department as it was, including the district commanded by Generals Kelley and Cox, the control of the prisoners of war and political prisoners be placed in the hands of the provost-marshal at Wheeling. Returns and rolls of all prisoners at these several stations will be consolidated by him and furnished to the commissary-general of prisoners, and from Wheeling all prisoners will be sent to the general depot from time to time as may be found necessary. This is done now as far as his authority extends. There is a provost-marshal-general at Saint Louis for Missouri and one at Louisville for Kentucky. From these points prisoners are sent to the nearest prison stations in Ohio or Illinois. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Detroit, Mich., August 10, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith a report by Captain Lazelle, Eighth Infantry, under my orders, of an examination into the management of the subsistence department at Camp Chase so far as the prisoners of war are concerned, and beg to call your particular attention to it. From this report it appears that great frauds have been practiced on the Government and on the prisoners by both the commissary and the contractor. Either willfully or through neglect stores have been received Not found; Morgan's letters in this correspondence nearly all missing. 24 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV and taken care of and issued at the expense of the Government when by the contract all should have been at the expense of the contractors. Provisions of an inferior quality have been issued to the prisoners without the presence of the commissary or any responsible person to see that justice was done either in quality or quantity. Credit has been given to the contractors by the commissary for an unreasonable amount of wastage, which wastage was paid for by the Government when under the contract if there was any wastage it should have been the loss of the contractor. It appears too from this report that until very recently the commissary has been habitually absent from the camp. The case is one in my judgment of gross and willful neglect of duty and I don't see how he can escape the charge of willful dishonesty. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. F. F. FLINT, Commanding Military Prison, Alton, Ill. MAJOR: An exchange of prisoners of war is to take place immediately and I expect to-morrow to receive definite instructions on the subject. All who are willing to take the oath of allegiance are to be discharged, and for this purpose I have telegraphed to you to-day to prepare immedi ately duplicate rolls of all who wish to take advantage of this offer. It does not include the political prisoners. It may be some days before this exchange takes place, and in the meantime you may supply the prisoners with vegetables out of the prisoners' fund. I noticed that none were on your list of purchases for the last month. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. JOSEPH DARR, Provost-Marshal, Wheeling, Va. MAJOR: I have received your several letters of the 6th, 7th and 9th instant. After the exchange of prisoners which is now in progress is completed I will endeavor to visit Wheeling to consult with you as to the propriety of establishing a small military prison on the island. Camp Chase will probably be abandoned as a military prison and in that event it will be necessary to establish one near Wheeling where prisoners may be held [until] it is found proper to send them to the general depot. I will write to the Secretary of War and endeavor to have the bounds of your authority distinctly marked covering all posts from which soners are sent to Wheeling. respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Capt. H. M. LAZELLE, Eighth Infantry, U. S. Army, Columbus, Ohio. CAPTAIN: Your letters of the 7th and 9th instant with the accompanying papers have been received. The arrangements which you have made for the issue of rations and vegetables are very satisfactory and will I am sure lead to economy to the Government and advantage to the prisoners. The articles contained in the list forwarded purchased for the prisoners may very well be paid for out of the prisoners' fund, and you will please have the payment made. It was right to discharge the drunken clerk and I hope his account will be made to correspond with his services. The clerks detailed from the command can be paid only the extra pay allowed by regulations-40 cents per day-and if Colonel Allison is unwilling to take notice of their neglect of duty I shall be obliged to lay the case before the Secretary of War as a neglect of duty on his part. By the exchange of prisoners all of them will be removed from Camp Chase or things there will be better arranged than they are now. I approve of your course in inquiring into and reporting upon the manner in which Captain Walker, assistant commissary of subsistence, has performed his duties. Your report leaves no room to doubt that frauds have been practiced willfully or through neglect by both commissary and contractor, and I shall immediately lay the matter before the Secretary of War and call his particular attention to it. Captain Peyton's parole may be continued for the present. My first letter for full rolls for this office was written on the 28th of April and the second on the 23d of June. Something over three months have been occupied in this preparation and I wish you to impress it on Colonel Allison that the patience of the Secretary of War is quite exhausted and with good reason too. If it is possible to hurry the completion of the rolls I wish him to do it. You must not think I attribute the delay to any want of attention on your part. An immediate exchange of prisoners of war is to take place. All who wish to take the oath of allegiance will be permitted to do so and they will then be discharged. I will be in Columbus myself or will give you further instructions. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, JAMES R. HALLAM, Esq., Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. SIR: Your letter of the 7th instant is received. Your petition through Colonel Allison has been referred by me to the Secretary of War. Your letter to Governor Tod was also referred to me and I have laid [it] before the Secretary of War in a way if possible to secure speedy action upon it. With a view to hasten a decision in the three cases I have called for the charges against yourself, Colonel Jones and Mr. Helm. You will probably have to obtain affidavits to establish your loyalty through friends in Kentucky. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Washington, D. C., August 11, 1862 Major-General MCCLELLAN, Commanding Army of the Potomac. GENERAL: Inclosed please find two communications* for General R. E. Lee, commanding Confederate Army, Richmond, Va., which you are requested to forward. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS, Fort Monroe, Va., August 11, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. SIR: Captain Milward, of the volunteers, will déliver to you a person who has for six months or more been in Baltimore and this vicinity in the uniform of a British naval officer. He calls himself Lieutenant Edenborough and is no doubt a British subject. The captain of the British steamer Jason advised me the day before yesterday that he was not an officer in the British Navy. About ten days ago I permitted him to go up the James River as a visitor by invitation to the commanding officer of one of our gun-boats. Thence he went on shore at Harrison's Landing. On his return to Norfolk he said to General Viele and others that he had been to Richmond. I doubt very much whether this be so. He is an impostor and is not to be believed in anything. He admits that he made to General Viele the statement referred to, and said that he was the bearer of dispatches but I think his object was to give himself importance. The British officers have been deceived by him, and as he was admitted on board their vessels he was not distrusted by us. He was arrested by General Viele yesterday at Norfolk. I was awaiting his return to arrest him here and I send him to you for such disposition as you may think proper to make of him. He has not as I can learn been guilty of any act hostile to the United States. His offense consists in being in this vicinity as he has been in Maryland in a false character and therefore a suspicious person. For this reason I send him away, and as he is supposed to be a British subject I have thought it best to place him at the disposal of the Government. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN A. DIX, Omitted here; Halleck to Lee, August 7, p. 350, and Halleck to Lee, August 9, p. 362. |
