the camp and this money may then be used to purchase for them necessary articles which they could not otherwise obtain. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Col. B. G. FARRAR, Provost Marshal-General, Saint Louis, Mo. COLONEL: Returns are required monthly and not for parts of a month, and I have to request you will make up a return for the month of July and accompany it with lists of those joined, transferred, &c., to explain alterations, giving dates and all necessary particulars. It is only by this means that the records in this office can be made to show what becomes of prisoners. Please see paragraph 1 of circular of regulations. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. HOFFMAN, Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners. QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Col. WILLIAM HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners, Detroit, Mich. COLONEL: Your letter* of the 11th instant inclosing Captain McClung's estimate* for a hospital at Camp Chase has been received and the estimate has been approved and referred to Captain Dickerson, assistant quartermaster, U. S. Army, Cincinnati, to furnish the funds required. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. S. SIBLEY, Brevet Colonel, U. S. Army, Deputy Quartermaster-General. HEADQUARTERS, Fort Monroe, Va., August 19, 1862. Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Commanding the Army. GENERAL: The steamer Star came down from Aiken's Landing last night with 165 released prisoners, all but two prisoners of war. Some of them were captured at Manassas, others at Ball's Bluff; some belong to regiments which have been mustered out of service by expiration of their term of enlistment; most of them belong to corps which are now and will be shortly nearer to Washington than to this post and nearly all are destitute of arms, clothing and everything necessary for the field. All are more or less in want of money and have pay due them. Under the circumstances as there is no room for them here I have thought it best to send them to Washington to receive your orders. I *Not found. believe they are all exchanged; General Thomas' lists will show. I inclose a list of these and also a receipt for a prisoner addressed to General Thomas, who informs me that he is about to leave for the West. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN A. DIX, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS, Suffolk, Va., August 19, 1862. Maj. Gen. JOHN A. DIX, Commanding Fort Monroe. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th instant. I hardly know how to recapitulate the subject of prisoners. I send you the proceedings of the military commissions marked A, B, C, D, E,† and copies of the letters numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,† agreeably to your instructions. In forwarding prisoners to provostmarshal, Lieutenant Weber, aide to General Weber, may have omitted to send to the provost-marshal at Fort Monroe the proper documents on the subject. He is now sick and I have in his place a very competent officer and the records of his office will hereafter show transactions of this kind more minutely. The papers I send are from my own office. It is difficult to judge of what should be done with individuals in certain cases. I am not aware of intentional injustice to any citizen. I assumed command here on the 12th of June, and the person to whom you allude a month ago as having been discharged without fault against him I don't think could have been confined by my orders. You sent me some papers about some prisoners some time ago before Colonel Dodge was ordered to this post and I was obliged to refer you to him at Norfolk. The persons examined by the commission as you will see all had a prompt hearing and the commissioners were sworn. This commission was duly ordered to relieve me from the duty of personal examination which I cannot find time to do properly. In short it was nothing more than a board of examination to aid my judgment in disposing of offenders temporarily. I am aware I have no power to order a military commission for the final trial of a prisoner of war and never entertained such an idea. I regret you should suppose for a moment I could impute to you "undue susceptibility" and that my warm criticism of the bad conduct of the rebels in certain cases should have been thought out of place when taken in connection with the subject. Certainly it was dictated by my best feelings for my distracted country. In reference to my letter of the 14th instant I have to explain that I have not yet apprehended the man who shot the negroes near Smithfield in a boat. I only know the facts and the parties. It has not been thought judicious to take such a step at this moment so far off. I have to request you will act on all the cases now at Fort Wool. Some are prisoners of war and should be exchanged for our own officers and soldiers. In future I will endeavor to keep the prisoners and relieve you from a troublesome and unpleasant duty as you suggest and which I can do without difficulty. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, * Omitted. JOS. K. F. MANSFIELD, +Some not found; all omitted. Hon. E. M. STANTON: INDIANAPOLIS, IND., August 19, 1862. Attention is respectfully directed to telegram referring to release of rebel prisoners. Governor Campbell is awaiting instructions. well in Indiana. All JAS. A. EKIN, Assistant Quartermaster. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. W. S. PIERSON, Commanding Depot of Prisoners of War, Sandusky, Ohio. MAJOR: By direction of Colonel Hoffman, commissary-general of prisoners, I send you by express to-day rolls of prisoners at the depot under your command for the purpose of exchange. These rolls have been prepared from and are as correct as can be got by the rolls furnished by you. I find, however, that there are two names less on them than the number given on your return for July. In correcting this discrepancy please send those names to this office in order that the records here may be full. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN STIRLING, Clerk to Commissary-General of Prisoners. OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, Maj. F. F. FLINT, Commanding Military Prison, Alton, Ill. MAJOR: By direction of Colonel Hoffman, commissary-general of prisoners, I send you to day rolls of prisonors of war at Alton to be used for the purpose of exchange. These rolls are as full as the records received from you at this office furnish the material, but from a return received from Colonel Farrar, provost-marshal-general at Saint Louis, it would appear that a number of prisoners have been sent since July 19 from Saint Louis to Alton, of which no particulars have been received at this office. It will be necessary to add to the rolls sent to you to-day those names which have been received since the return and rolls you forwarded at the first of this month. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN STIRLING, Clerk to Commissary-General of Prisoners. HARDINSBURG, IND., August 20, 1862. Hon. E. M. STANTON. SIR: Inclosed please find a letter from Captain Austin. If there is any possible chance to do anything in the case and you would do me an everlasting favor for God's sake help him. Respectfully, &c., J. A. CRAVENS, Member of Congress. [Inclosure.] SALISBURY PRISON, N. C., July 22, 1862. J. A. CRAVENS, Member of Congress, Washington, D. C. DEAR FRIEND: We were informed this morning by Colonel Godwin, commandant of the prison, that the two Governments had agreed upon a general exchange of prisoners. He also informs me that the Secretary of War gave him orders to hold the four hostages until they receive notice from the United States that they would deliver or give notice that they had put the two captains and two doctors upon a footing as prisoners of war. Until that is done we will have to remain here in close confinement after our brother officers have been released. I want you to give this your immediate attention. The names of the four officers are Surg. George [D.] Slocum, New York, Navy; Surg. J. B. Hoffman, Cincinnati; Capt. T. O'Meara, Forty-second New York, and your friend Capt. George Austin, Second Kentucky Infantry. I do not fancy the idea of staying here after they have all gone. I never did admire the position that I have been filling for over twelve months here in the South. I wish you would see George H. Pendleton, Member of Congress from Cincinnati, and let him know in regard to Doctor Hoffman. The surgeons and chaplains leave for home to-night or to-morrow. This will be handed to you by one of them. The officers will leave here for our lines within a week; then we four hostages will have a good time hoping for our release. Now my dear friend do all you can for us. My health has been very good. Yours, truly, GEORGE AUSTIN, Captain. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF EAST TENNESSEE, General GEORGE W. MORGAN, Commanding U. S. Forces, Cumberland Gap. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith a list of prisoners captured by the Confederate forces who have been released on giving the usual parole not to serve the United States until regularly exchanged. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. KIRBY SMITH, Major-General. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, August 20, 1862. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. SIR: I have the honor to inclose papers from Brigadier-General Boyle, commanding U. S. forces in Kentucky, and respectfully recommend that authority be granted him to control the prisoners sent from Kentucky to Camp Chase, Ohio, so far as to obtain the discharge of such persons as have been imprisoned there for trivial offenses or shall satisfy the commanding general (Boyle) by proofs that they have been wrongfully arrested and imprisoned. Respectfully submitted. * Omitted. L. C. TURNER, [Inclosure No. 1.] HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES IN KENTUCKY, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington. SIR: I beg leave to submit the inclosed papers to you. Prisoners sent to prison for the most trivial causes by provost-marshals under general order from me, and even men whom Hon. James Harlan, U. S. district attorney, declared to me are Union men, cannot be released. I am, very respectfully, J. T. BOYLE, Brigadier-General, Commanding. [Sub-inclosure.] Brig. Gen. J. T. BOYLE. HEADQUARTERS PROVOST-MARSHAL, SIR: Inclosed please find copy of letter sent me by Colonel Allison, commanding post at Camp Chase. The disregard for your order which I forwarded him concerning the release of certain prisoners will necessarily cause your department much trouble unless speedily rectified. Respectfully, your most obedient servant, JAMES L. FOLEY, Provost-Marshal, Kenton County. [Inclosure to sub-inclosure.] HEADQUARTERS, Camp Chase, August 2, 1862. Marshal JAMES L. FOLEY, Provost-Marshal of Kenton County: My instructions are not to release any prisoners in my custody unless upon the order of Colonel Hoffman, commissary-general of prisoners, or the War Department. At the request of John P. McLaughlin, esq., I telegraphed to Colonel Hoffman to-day stating your order and that of General Boyle to you and asking whether I shall deliver Henry Tarvin up, to which he declines to reply. I must therefore respectfully decline to deliver the prisoner to Mr. McLaughlin under your order. Yours, respectfully, [Inclosure No. 2.] C. W. B. ALLISON, Colonel, Commanding Post. HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES IN KENTUCKY, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington. |