HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, Mo., October 11, 1862.

Major-General SHERMAN, Commanding at Memphis, Tenn.

GENERAL: I send answer [dated October 10] to the two letters of General Hindman and hope you will also write him explaining whatever you may desire to do and send them over by a close observer.

Hindman is great on sharp practice. It is his constant practice to get up occasion for flags of truce, by means of which he evidently gets intelligence of our movements. In our reply we must cancel the fraud as the only compensation. I must send on this occasion to prevent injustice to the Wisconsin officers. As I have withdrawn a considerable force from Helena to attack McBridge and Parsons who have come up to Pocahontas I hope you will give General Carr any and all information and assistance you can to support him. I hope soon to re-enforce with fresh troops and contemplate holding Helena at all hazards.

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

S. R. CURTIS,

Major-General.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Detroit, Mich., October 11, 1862.

General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington.

GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith a roll* of 228 Confederate prisoners who, while in charge of Colonel Mulligan at Camp Douglas, Ill., were permitted to enlist in the twenty-third and Sixty-fifth Illinois Regiments, commanded respectively by Colonel Jas. A. Multigan and Colonel D. Cameron, and to accompany said regiments to the field during the month of June last.

All of this was done without authority and in violation of Colonel Mulligan's special duty. How many if any of these prisoners enlisted in Colonel Cameron's regiment in the few days it remained after the departure of Colonel Mulligan I am not informed.

The roll has no signature to it, but it comes to me with an official letter of advice from Colonel J. H. Tucker, Illinois volunteers, who relieved Colonel Mulligan in the command of Captain Douglas.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

[First indorsement.]

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, October 21, 1862.

Respectfully referred to the General-in-Chief in connection with other papers relating to Colonel Mulligan.

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

[Second indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, October 27, 1862.

The question of enlisting prisoners of war was submitted by Colonel Mulligan to General Halleck, commanding Department of Mississippi, about March 4, 1862, and by the general was submitted to General McClellan, Commander-in-Chief, and Colonel Mulligan so informed.

---------------

* Not found.

---------------