been enforced and the parties guilty of violating them brought to just and merited punishment.

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

BRAXTON BRAGG,

General, Commanding.

[Inclosure A.]

NICKAJACK, November 10, 1862.

General BRAXTON BRAGG.

SIR: In company with K. C. Divine, brigade surgeon, Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Left Wing, Army of the Mississippi, I left our hospitals near Perryville, Ky., October 20, and proceeded to Harrodsburg to confer with Surgeon Moore, left in charge. On the 21st we left Harrodsburg for Danville, at which place we arrived in the evening and found General Buell and a large part of his forces just arrived from Crab Orchard en route for Lebanon, Ky. Having been refused permission to pass out of Kentucky by any other route than via Somerset, I obtained through the instrumentality of my personal friend, Dr. Robert Murray, General Buell's medical director, passes for myself and Doctor Divine to rejoin our command by that route, but on starting that way was deterred from continuing by the information that the Knob counties of Kentucky and Tennessee were infested by gangs of Union bushwhackers and thieves and the report that several persons on that route had been shot and plundered, a Confederate surgeon among the number. We therefore went to Lebanon, Ky., disposed of our horses and took the cars for Louisville, to which place General Buell had gone. We were insulted by Yankee officers in the cars and threatened with arrest.

On our arrival at Louisville on Saturday night, October 25 (in a violent snow-storm), we put up at the Galt House, registering our names as surgeons, C. S. Army. On examining the register after supper we discovered the letters C. S. A. had been erased. In the morning after breakfast I saw Lieutenant Bush, aide to General Buell, and asked him to procure us permits to pass down the river to Vicksburg on a boat that was to leave that night with paroled Confederate prisoners. He promised to see General Buell and procure passes for us and leave a note for me at the hotel office. We left the hotel in the morning for the houses of a friend. In the evening we were informed by a friend in the Federal service that the boat would leave that night and that he understood we were to be sent to the military prison. At my request he went to the office of the Galt House and brought me a note from Lieutenant Bush (herewith annexed) referring us to General Boyle. Upon repairing at once to General Boyle we were referred to Colonel Dent, provost-marshal, who informed us we were under arrest and must go to the prison hospital "as hostages for a Federal surgeon who was reported to be confined in a dungeon at Knoxville, Tenn., on bread and water. " We were courteously allowed by Colonel Dent to return to our friend's house to supper and report at the prison at 8 p. m., which we did, protesting, however, against our imprisonment. We were assigned beds in the hospital wards and ate at the surgeons' table. We found in the hospital as hostages like ourselves Surgeons Alexander and Leak and Assistant Surgeon Meux, C. S. Army, who had been confined to the prison but transferred to the hospital. We found many of our wounded soldiers in the hospital, whom we took charge of and attended to their wounds. On the following [day] after our imprisonment we addressed a joint note to General Boyle (copy annexed), to which we received no reply.