sick andwounded men of that garrison amounting with the hospital steward in charge of the same to about twenty persons should be returned to Savannah under a flag a flag of truce, and offering to send them at a time and to a place to be named by me on condition that I will send to you at the same time and place certain prisoners alleged to have been captured and especially designated by you, each set of prisoners to take an oath which you prescribe.

As the officer in command of Fort Pulaski at the time if its surrender was not permitted to communicate with his Goevrnment and you have furnished me no copy I have no means of ascertaining the terms of capitulation except through the public journals of your own country. From these I learn that the sick and wounded were to be brought within the Confederate lines. This provision, dicated by humanity, was certainly intended to secure to these sufferers the kind offices of their friends and families, who were but a few miles distant from the scene, and yet one entire month, less two days, has been permitted to elapse without any step taken to give them the benefit of this provisionuntil it should suit your purposes to send a flag of truce to our lines, and even then I am required to send you an equal number of prisoners who had secured no such right at the time of their capture and some of whom designated by you have never been within the limits of my command.

Moreover you have not given me the rank of the prisoners in your possession, nor even their exact number, so as to permit me to comply with your request without further correspondence, and the further condition is imposed that the prisoners shall take an oath not included in the terms of capitulation and which is unusual when an exchange is proposed.

As the time which has been permitted to elapse and the terms which you now propose violate the true intent of the agreement entered into with the officer who surrendered Fort Pulaski and left the sick and wounded in your charge, as faent has been made known to me, I beg leave to decline the proposition which you now make.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. R. LAWTON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 51.
Washington, May 10, 1862.

* * * * *

Iv. Paragraph II of General Orders, Numbers 102,* dated November 25, 1861, having been revoked the officers and men transferred to skeleton regiments under its operation will be reassigned to their original regiments as fast as vacancies occur. Remarks will be made opposite their names on the muster-rolls showing the dates of their capture, transfer from and retrnasfer to their respective companies and also whether they are exchancged or still on parole.

By order of the Secretary of War:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

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* See p. 141.

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34 R R - SERIES II, VOL III