OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

October 13, 1862.

Major W. S. PIERSON,

Commanding Depot of Prisoners of War, Sandusky, Ohio.

MAJOR: Your letters* of the 9th and 10th instant are received. Under the cartel all military prisoners released for exchange must be provided with transportation to the point [to] which they are sent, but prisoners released on taking the oath of allegiance or for other causes must provide for themselves. If they give occasion for the Government to arrest them they cannot expect it to be at the expense of sending them home on being released. But there are some cases where men have been arrested on false charges or through mistake and where they are in a destined condition. In such cases you may purchase first or second class tickets for them to their homes with the prison fund. Wood's case may be considered of this class. Please say to General Barrow that I laid his case before the War Department, but as yet have received no answer.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

MILITARY PRISON, Alton, Ill., October 13, 1862.

Colonel WILLIAM HOFFMAN:

The provost-marshal-general at Saint Louis, Mo., claims entire control of not the military force there but also the prison, and frequently sends orders to me to admit ladies and gentlemen into the prison to see their friends. He also orders me to make out the same rolls and returns that you require. He wants returns made to him every two weeks. Now, to undertake to live and act under the rulings of two masters is more than I contracted for and more than I am valuing to submit to. When their orders conflict everything is deranged thereby.

Please give this subject your immediate attention and much oblige,

J. HILDEBRAND,

Colonel, Commanding Post.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

October 13, 1862.

Colonel THOMAS T. GANTT,

Provost-Marshal-General, Saint Louis, Mo.

COLONEL: I am informed by the commanding officer of the military prison at Alton that he receives orders from you in relation to his duties which are in conflict with those which I have given him, and to avoid embarrassment from contradictory orders and to promote the interest of the service which should be our first consideration I wish to call your attention to the orders from the War Department, Numbers 32, of April 2, and Numbers 67, of June 17, placing all prisons camps or stations under my control, and my circular of regulations of July 7, which I have furnished to commanders of posts where prisoners are held and which I have directed to be closely adhered to. Paragraph 12 of General Orders 32 says that my duties do not extend to prisoners of state, but since that time the charge of all political prisoners has

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* Not found.

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