OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., November 27, 1862.

Honorable E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.

SIR: I have the honor to refer to the Secretary of War for his consideration several orders from General Grant for the release of prisoners confined in the military prison at Alton, Ill., amounting to eighty-six. This prison is not within the command of General Grant, and the orders which he has issued are in violation of the rules which have been established by your authority. I would respectfully call your attention to his order for the release of W. H. Hawkins, Company G, Twenty-second Tennessee, who it appears was arrested while under the protection of a flag of truce. Hawkins' protest is with the order.

I would also call your attention to the letter of Captain Freedly reporting the escape of prisoners form the Alton prison through the gross negligence of the guard. A ladder was used to scale the wall on the inside and ropes made of bedding, &c., were used to descend on the outside. I have urged on General Curtis to detail a more competent officer for the command than Colonel Holdebrand, Seventy-seventh Ohio, but he informs me that he has no better available, and I therefore respectfully recommend that Captain H. W. Freedley, Third Infantry, be placed in command. There are three prisoners at this prison who are lunatics, and they should at once be sent to an asylum.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

[Indorsement.]

Approved.

E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., November 27, 1862.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. LUDLOW,

Agent for Exchange of Prisoners, Fort Monroe, Va.

COLONEL: I inclose herewith all the complete rolls* of our paroled troops not exchanged that I can find among the papers in my office after a careful examination. I have copied from the Benton Barracks rolls all those which do not seem to have been exchanged. I have rolls of men captured at places in Kentucky and elsewhere, as Perryville, Mount Vernon, Crab Orchard, Lebanon Junction and James Island, which are not mentioned among the exchanges and I assume that they have not been exchanged. Some of these rolls I send You. In other cases the names are mingled with names of men exchanged.

There are many names scattered through the rolls from Annapolis of men who seem not to have been exchanged, but I have not time now to call them out.

I have also rolls of 400 or 500 rebel prisoners which I will have copied and forwarded to you immediately.

The printers are very slow in getting out the order announcing the exchange and it may be some days yet before it is published. The exchange of the Indiana troops will be mentioned. Your report did not say that the exchange had been arranged here and I thought they were included with the others.

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*Omitted.

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