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.

Major General 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, D,+ an copies of the letters numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,+ agreeably to your instructions. In forwarding prisoners to provost-marshal, 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 troublesome and unpleasant duty as you suggest and which I can do without difficulty.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOS. K. F. MANSFIELD,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

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*Omitted.

+Some not found; all omitted.

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