understood at head of the department, and from there and there only do we expect to receive justice. Our officers try to thwart every attempt of ours to have our situation fully understood by higher authorities. At Shiloh, after the battle, when we learned the treatment that prisoners from our regiment received at the hands of the enemy while trying to ascertain to a certainty whether we really had been exchanged as represented or not we were charged with mutiny and threatened with being tried as mutineers. Such was the treatment we received from our officers. The following is a correct statement of the facts of our case:

We were taken prisoners on the 20th of September, 1861, by Brigadier-General Price, commanding the rebel forces, and were released on the 22nd of September. We were released on condition that we would abide by the following oath:

You do solemnly swear in presence of Almighty God that you will never take up arms again against the State of Missouri or Confederate States of America, or aid or assist the Federal Government in the prosecution of the present war, under the penalty of death if again taken: So help you God.

That is the oath we took verbatim. We signed no parole and were not paroled to be exchanged (as our officers have represented). We then went to our homes. Shortly afterwards our officers were released and came to Saint Joseph (where the regiment was organized), and ordered us all to report there to be paid off and discharged. On the 26th of October, 1861, we were mustered our of service by Lieutenant Robinett, U. S. Army, mustering officer, and received our discharges. The officers and some enlisted men who were not at Lexington were not mustered out. The colonel (E. Peabody) then received orders to recruit another regiment to the maximum number, to be known as the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers. Shortly afterwards he issued an order for all who had been mustered out to report to him immediately for service, stating that the order for mustering us out had been revoked, and that according to an agreement between Generals Fremont and Price we were regularly exchanged and entirely released from our oath, and all who did not report to him immediately would be considered and treated as deserters. Supposing such was the case, under that order we returned to his regiment. Some were forced back at the point of the bayonet. While here last March a few papers purporting to be exchange papers were distributed in the regiment. We left here last March and went to Pittsburgh Landing, Tenn. At the battle of Shiloh a number of our regiment were captured by the enemy. Some were recognized as having been previously taken at Lexington and were heavily ironed and sentenced to be executed. The others were released on parole. It was ascertained to a certainty that a man named Hawkins was shot for violating his oath taken at Lexington. A rebel general told those who were released to tell their officers that all who were taken at Lexington and again taken should suffer the same fate. Orderly Sergeant Henderson, of Company I, who had one of those exchange papers with him, was wounded on the morning of the 6th of April and left in camp, which the rebels afterwards took possession of. n Tuesday, the 8th, when we again took possession of our camp, he was found dead with his head crushed and his exchange paper pinned on his coat. Several more suffered the same fate, which goes to show that those exchanges are of no benefit and are not recognized. The rebels say that that oath cannot be exchanged, and they will recognize no exchange of men who were taken at Lexington, Mo. Hence an exchange would avail nothing.