to conduct the same and have the record made up according to proper form. All the charges have to be made out anew and remodeled before they can be put into the hands of any officer I may appoint as judge-advocate, and this you must know is a most laborious work and would take an officer acquainted with the work and a good clerk continually employed to attend to the business properly. Such an officer should be skilled in the military and civil law and have nothing else to attend to put to prepare the charges and review the proceedings when they come in and have them published. Is there any way in which you can furnish me with such an officer and a good clerk to assist him? Without such assistance I am fearful I shall be swamped and I call upon you most earnestly to help me.

I spoke to Governor Gamble upon this subject, hoping that he would be able upon consultation with you to aid me in my tribulations, but I have not yet been informed of any steps being taken in the matter. At this very moment there are no less than three commissions ordered, and either one of them will have possibly as high as thirty cases for trial. Other commissions should be ordered but I cannot spare the officers, and beside all this I have the proceedings of two before me under review of something like twenty-five or thirty cases each.

I pray you will think of all this and help me if you can. Would it not be well to have all the prisoners who are taken without arms returning from Price's army either sent to Alton or would it be better to require them to take the oath of allegiance and give bonds at the posts where taken at once? They are to all intents and purposes spies when found within our lines in citizen's dress, but the expense of trial and the detriment to the service by removing officers from their active field duties is greater probably than the good resulting, and I have not yet been able to get a military commission to commit them as spies and there is accordingly great doubt attending the matter.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAS. TOTTEN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Division.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

June 23, 1862.

COMMANDING OFFICER,

Depot of Prisoners, Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, Ohio.

SIR: The War Department has called for a list of all prisoners of war who have been or may now be held at the depot commanded by you. You will therefore in addition to the list already called for from this office furnish me a complete list of all such prisoners, showing in the column of remarks what has become of those who are not now present. Blank rolls for this purpose will be sent you by express. Separate rolls of citizens will be furnished when the person does not belong to a regiment, and under that head give the State he comes from. The above rolls will take the place of those called for in General Orders, Numbers 54, of May 17, from Adjutant-General's Office, and if other rolls have been required by provost-marshals they need not be furnished until you have further instructions.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Lieutenant Colonel Eighth Infty., Commissary-General of Prisoners.

(Similar letters sent to the commandants of all military prisons.)