As provost - marshal he will have charge of all political prisoners arrested or confined until disposed of by order of the commanding general, to whom the marshal will report daily all prisoners arrested, with the charges and specifications against them.

As many persons have been arrested and confined upon frivolous charges and others upon rumor or suspicion, no citizen or other person nota soldier within the limits of this department will hereafter be arrested or confined upon charges of disloyalty or treasonable practices unless the charges and specification shall have first been submitted in writing to the provost - marshal, setting forth in what respect and at what time he may have been disloyal or guilty of treasonable practices, and the truth of which attested under the solemnity of an oath by the person preferring them, and no such accused person or prisoner in this department will be held by any provost - marshal, civil or military, or commandant of post under the control of the commanding general, until after the charges as above described and attested shall have been transmitted to him for his action and orders in the case.

The military and civil provost - marshals will actively and vigilantly co - operate in preserving the peace and order of the city under special instructions to be given from time by the commanding general. The duties of the first will in general be limited to the military stationed in and about Baltimore, and of the second to civil persons, but both will aid each other when necessary in the discharge of the duties required of them.

JOHN E. WOOL,

Major - General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS TRANS - MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,
Little Rock, Ark., September 1, 1862.

Major General S. R. CURTIS,

Commanding U. S. Forces, Helena, Ark.

GENERAL: I have to acknowledge the receipt of thirty - one Confederate prisoners sent by you in exchange for others of own heretofore sent by General Hindman to you. I cannot now determine the true balance not being accurately informed as to the number of your deficiency on the Pea Ridge exchange. I send now to you for exchange three others, equivalent to -, according to the scale.

No complaint has been made of your treatment of men taken in arms, and if there were any such fighting on their individual account I ask no extenuation of your wrath for them, though there is no doubt that they were not only cases of rare occurrence but were induced by the brutal outrages perpetrated by your troops on their families and friends. I solemnly warn you against this vandal warfare and the danger of justifying a sweeping devastation by individual acts induced by being goaded to desperation.

The cases of the two men in my custody mentioned by Captain Noble shall be investigated, as shall also the case of the soldier Sheppard, said to have been killed by Captain Anderson's company, if I can procure any specification on which to base an inquiry.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

TH. H. HOLMES,

Major - General, Commanding Department.