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We took steps a few months ago to ascertain to a certainty whether we had really been exchanged or not. We made our case known to the commanding general at Corinth. The case was investigated and a large number of our regiment had not been exchanged as had been represented to us by our officers, and had been and were still serving in the field in the face of the enemy in direct violation of our oath. We were immediately ordered by General Grant to report to Benton Barracks, as we supposed to be again discharged. We arrived here on the 4th of August.

Hoping you will interest yourself in our behalf and give our case a fair investigation, we remain, respectfully, yours, &c.,

EDWIN CRAIG,

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N. B.-We would also state, in addition to the above statement, that we were put on duty on our return to the regiment and not sworn in or regularly mustered in again.

Respectfully, yours, &c.,

Members of the Thirteenth Missouri, Now Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers. [Inclosure No. 3.]

ATTENTION THIRTEENTH REGIMENT MISSOURI VOLUNTEERS.

Colonel Smith has been notified by Captain Prince, of Fort Leavenworth, that agreeably to orders received at headquarters of the Western Department he will send the proper officers to this city to muster the enlisted men out of the U. S. service immediately. You will therefore report to your company quarters for further orders forthwith. F. C. NICHOLS, Captain Company H.

OCTOBER 19, [1861.]

[Inclosure No. 4.]

SAINT JOSEPH, November 14, 1861.

SOLDIERS OF THE THIRTEENTH MISSOURI:

Having been detained at Saint Louis by wounds received at Lexington, the reorganization of our regiment has been necessarily delayed. I was determined to ask none of the Thirteenth Missouri again to enter the service until three great essentials were secured them, viz: Pay for past services, clothing for future comfort and a full release from the parole given by General Price. These are now secured every man who re-enters the regiment, now known as the Twenty-fifth Regiment of Missouri Volunteers. Soldiers, I would be pleased to again lead you to the enemy.

[Inclosure No. 5.]

E. PEABODY.

HDQRS. TWENTY-FIFTH MISSOURI REGIMENT VOLS.,

Saint Joseph, Mo., January 21, [1862].

In pursuance of orders from headquarters of the department a mustering officer will be in Saint Joseph on the 29th of the present

month for the purpose of remustering the Twenty-fifth Missouri Regiment, including the battalion of cavalry, and Major Van Horn's detachment, for back pay and for future service. Any soldier absent at the remustering will not receive pay for past services and will be Ideemed a deserter and treated accordingly.

E. PEABODY,

Colonel, Commanding Twenty-fifth Regiment Missouri Volunteers.

[Inclosure No. 6.]

No. 36.

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GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, December 30, 1861.
Special Orders, No. 327, and No. 335, from the Adjutant-General's
Office, having been received at headquarters, are published for the
information of all concerned:

Special Orders, No. 327.-Any orders that may have been given from this office or from the headquarters of the Western Department for mustering out of service Colonel Mulligan's Twenty-third Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, Irish Brigade, are hereby rescinded and all discharges that may have been granted thereupon are revoked. The officers and men of this regiment will be considered as continuously in service from the date they were originally mustered in. Colonel Mulligan is authorized to fill up his regiment to the maximum standard of an infantry regiment as prescribed by law.

Special Orders, No. 335.-Any orders that may have been given from this office or from the headquarters of the Western Department for mustering out of service Colonel Marshall's First Regiment Illinois Cavalry are hereby rescinded and all discharges that may have been granted thereupon are revoked. The officers and men of this regiment will be considered as continuously in service from the date they were originally mustered in. Colonel Marshall is authorized to fill up his regiment to the maximum standard of a cavalry regiment as prescribed by law.

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V. Any orders that may have been given from this office or the headquarters of the Western Department for mustering out of service Colonel Peabody's Twenty-fifth Regiment Missouri Infantry are hereby rescinded and all exchanges that may have been granted thereupon are revoked. The officers and men of this regiment will be considered as continuously in service from the date on which they were originally mustered in. Colonel Peabody is authorized to fill up his regiment to the maximum standard of an infantry regiment as prescribed by law.

By command of Major-General McClellan:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

[Inclosure No. 8.]

HDQRS. TWENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT MISSOUri Vols., February 14, 1862. All men belonging formerly to the Thirteenth Regiment Missouri Volunteers will report themselves without delay at the headquarters of the regiment at the old distillery, South Saint Joseph, Mo.

By order of Col. E. Peabody, commanding Twenty-fifth Regiment Missouri Volunteers. C. W. GAFF,

Adjutant Twenty-fifth Regiment Missouri Volunteers.

[Inclosure No. 9.]

ATTENTION, MEMBERS OF THE OLD THIRTEENTH, NOW TWENTYFIFTH, REGIMENT MISSOURI VOLUNTEERS.

I notice a local in the issue of the Herald of the 4th of March in regard to Major-General McClellan's order reinstating the old Thirteenth (now Twenty-fifth) Regiment Missouri Volunteers, and its application to your enlistment in other regiments. Had General McClellan made such an exposition of the application of the order in question as this article would seem to imply, why has not Colonel Peabody received notice thereof? Why has not the order itself modifying Orders, No. 29, been officially published? If General McClellan's order is to be carried into effect it will place you who enlist under these representations in a most unpleasant position. I would ask the author of the article how the regiment could be reinstated if the men were not to be held to their original enlistment? The order expressly states that "men and officers shall be considered as continuously in service." In what regiment? Most certainly in that regiment in which they originally enlisted and were mustered, for where else is the record that they have ever been in service at all? It is well settled that no enlisted man or officer can leave one regiment and of his own will join another without a regular transfer. All of those men whose names stand on the regi mental muster-rolls under Major-General McClellan's order must still be accounted for, and without the proper transfer to those regiments in which many of them are now induced to enlist by such articles and other representations of a kindred nature they must be returned as deserters. One other question: In what manner does Major-General Hunter treat this order? By issuing an order for the immediate return of every man formerly belonging to Colonel Peabody's regiment. Why has he not been notified of this modification of Orders, No. 29? I am fully satisfied that no such modification exists, and it is only a new dodge of interested parties to humbug you.

J. B. HAWLEY,

Lieutenant, Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers. Remarks. It is always well enough to be posted on any question before rushing into public notice. We had the original order before us when making the statement we did in the "local" referred to by Mr. Hawley. General Loan asked General Schofield by letter if a man "can be held as a soldier in the Twenty-fifth Regiment Missouri Volunteers notwithstanding his discharge from the Thirteenth Regiment by virtue of the order of General McClellan?"

The following is the reply:

Special Orders, No. 29.-Men having been duly mustered out of service and discharged are freed from the contract entered into on being mustered into service.

The orders from the Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, can only be regarded as - applying to those men who desire to be regarded as having been continuously in service. No man can be arrested as a deserter who refuses to rejoin the regiment having been duly discharged, nor can any one who subsequent to his discharge enters some other regiment be constrained to join the regiment he left.

N. H. MCLEAN, Assistant Adjutant-General.

We are very anxious to see Colonel Peabody's regiment filled, but when Lieutenant Hawley charges us with misrepresentation we propose to "draw the documents."

WASHINGTON, September 25, 1862.

General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General.

DEAR SIR: I have come here to see you in relation to the exchange of some of our prisoners at Richmond but finding you very much engaged I take the liberty to write. There are now at Richmond fortyeight civilians who went out under the order of the Secretary of War to take care of the wounded at Manassas at the last battle and were taken prisoners. Several of these men are in the public employment under me. Three who were taken at the same time having been exchanged returned yesterday, and they represent those who remain as being in a most deplorable condition, being treated as spies and abused as such by Mr. Robert Ould, formerly district attorney of this District and now commissioner of prisoners at Richmond, who seems to be seeking according to their account to render his ingratitude to the Government that so long fostered him as conspicuous as possible by his cruelty to those whom he knew here. He threatens I understand to hold them as spies "till they rot." I am here with several of the friends and relatives of those prisoners, and what we earnestly desire is that you will take such measures as you may think best to have them exchanged as soon as possible.

I am, with high respect, your obedient servant,

B. B. FRENCH, Commissioner of Public Buildings.

WHEELING, VA., September 25, [1862.]

Maj. L. C. TURNER, Judge-Advocate.

SIR: I presume it has been brought to your notice that rebel officers in Virginia have publicly declared to citizens of this State that the oaths of allegiance voluntarily taken are not binding upon them, and that the so-called Confederate Government would guarantee to all disregarding said oaths the humane treatment of the usages of war if taken prisoners. There are now at Camp Chase men who have violated their oaths by taking up arms against the United States, having been warned that the penalty of doing so would be death when the oath was administered to them.

It seems to me that if our Government is not prepared to take a stand in this matter and declare its policy that the administering of an oath of allegiance here is only a mockery and a farce.

Very respectfully,

JOS. DARR, JR., Major and Provost-Marshal-General,

36 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV

FORT MONROE, VA., September 25, 1862.

Col. D. T. VAN BUREN, Assistant Adjutant-General.

SIR: I have the honor to report that pursuant to instructions contained in Special Orders, No. 108, dated Headquarters Seventh Army Corps, Fort Monroe, Va., September 22, 1862, I proceeded under flag of truce up James River to Aiken's Landing, Va., having in charge thirty-seven paroled prisoners of war. I arrived at Aiken's on the morning of the 23d instant and immediately dispatched a note to Robert Ould, esq., commissioner of exchange at Richmond, a copy of which is herewith inclosed marked A.* On the evening of the same day I received a reply to my communication, which is also inclosed marked B. The prisoners then under my charge were delivered to an officer authorized to receive them, and his receipt together with their parolest I send herewith.

At noon on the 24th instant Mr. Ould reported at the landing with the following paroled prisoners whom I received and receipted for: Ninety-seven officers of Major-General Pope's command, 33 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 80 citizens and nurses, making a total of 210. At 2 p. m. I started on my return and proceeded as far as Jamestown when we came to anchor for the night, and arrived at Fort Monroe at 8.45 a. m. 25th instant. I have also to report the death of Private David Eckhurst on the trip down. I am, colonel, very respectfully, yours,

JOHN E. MULFORD,

Captain, Third New York Infantry, Comdg. Flag of Truce.

Hon. E. M. STANTON:

INDIANAPOLIS, IND., September 26, 1862.

Nearly 5,000 Indiana soldiers were surrendered as prisoners at Munfordville, Ky., and paroled. Two thousand more were taken aud paroled at Richmond, Ky. Indiana feels very sore over the mismanagement and imbecility which led to these results. It would be a satisfaction to our citizens to have a camp for paroled men established here, which could be maintained as cheaply as elsewhere. Our accommodations are at least as good as those at Camp Chase, and the men would be better satisfied and render more service here than at any other rendezvous. I earnestly and respectfully ask that the necessary authority be given.

O. P. MORTON,

Governor.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 26, 1862.

Governor MORTON, Indianapolis:

It is not designed to establish any camp for paroled prisoners of war and none will be established for the present at Indianapolis. Sending prisoners to their own State operates as an inducement for shameful surrender, and I am not surprised at the soreness of feeling which you mention as being felt on account of the imbecility and mismanagement that occasioned the surrender at Richmond and Munfordville. Every loyal and earnest man feels it.

*Not found

EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

+ Omitted.

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