[Indorsement.]

OCTOBER 17, 1862.

Authorize General French to dispose of the prisoners as he thinks best.

G. W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War.

JONESBOROUGH, TENN., October 16, 1862.

Colonel JOHN E. TOOLE.

DEAR SIR: I have been so much engaged since the return of my son that I have not had time until now to fulfill the promise I made to write to you.

Of the prisoners who were sent from this place to Madison, Ga., he says that Richard McCloud will volunteer; that William Dawes, Stephen Morely, David Boyd, George McPherson and Less. Boyd are willing to give bonds; that James A. Estes is willing to take the oath, and being a printer is not subject to conscription; that James W. Babb is willing to take the oath and is liable to conscription ; that James Atkinson can give bond, but has a lame hand and cannot be required to serve in the army; that George McPherson is ruptured and is in like manner exempt; and that Henry A. Kelly, who was born in New Hampshire, desires to be sent across the line.

David says that none of the above persons started to Kentucky except Atkinson, McCloud and the Boyds. Kelly as I hear refused to go to Kentucky, having been discharged last fall by General Leadbetter from a false charge of being a spy in the country. Dawes furnished some crackers to Morely without knowing the object as David thinks and having had one eye shot out in a fight and a controversy in the newspapers is probably the subject of private malice. Dawes has a family dependent upon him. Morely also is a married man, and his offense consisted in obtaining and furnishing the crackers. Estes so far as David knows did nothing beyond furnishing some money and visiting the stampedes. McPherson as David believes did nothing at all. Kelly's friends say that as a druggist he will be exempt; that he refused to go to Kentucky and will not join the army, and only desires to get away from the suspicions to which he is subjected by his Northern birth.

My son states that John and Jamwkins, will volunteer if they can. He says that Peter Elliott and William D. Blevins, of Carter, are anxious to be discharged. The latter is sixty-three years old and cannot probably give security.

David especially desires me to intercede in behalf of Colonel James Henry, of Blount, and Peter Slagle, of Carter. The former you know and the latter I regard as a man who will keep any promise or obligation he may enter into. But I cannot dwell upon each case separately of draw shades of distinction between them, nor can I enter into arguments without writing a letter too long with the demands upon your time for you to read. The only argument, if I may so call it, that I can use in their favor is that now there is no U. S. Army at Cumberland Gap, and now that so many are volunteering or quietly yielding to the conscript law I think it would be good policy to pursue a lenient course, knowing that if clemency is abused the parties can be again easily arrested.

Yours, truly,

THOS. A. R. NELSON.