HOLLY SPRINGS, December 23, 1862.

COMMANDING OFFICER, Grand Junction, Tenn.:

Arrest and return to this place all officers and men who may find their way to your post claiming to be paroled, and permit no one connected with the Army under any pretext to pass North without written authority from these headquarters, sending back under guard all who do not properly belong to your post.

By order of Major General U. S. Grant:

JNO A. RAWLINS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
Office of the Provost- Marshal- General, December 23, 1862.

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

GENERAL: By direction of the provost-marshal- general I have the honor to inclose descriptive lists* and paroles* of 463 prisoners of war captured in the recent battles at Fredercksburg and paroled for exchange at this office, who were sent into the enemy's lines upon condition of a transfer arranged between Major-General Parke, on the part of the United States, and Lieutenant-General Longstreet, in behalf of the enemy. Two hundred and seventy- one U. S . prisoners of war paroled for exchange were delivered by the enemy into our possession. These have been forwarded through Lieutenant Colonel Doster, provost- marshal at Washington, for entrance into the camp at Annapolis for paroled prisoners. Previous to this arrangement we as well as the enemy had sent in duplicate, one copy being intended for the Adjutant-General's Office, the other for such disposition as may be decided upon with reference to this anomalous transfer. Duplicates fort h Adjutant-General's Office of the parole papers of officers recently paroled at this office for exchange and of men paroled to remain within the loyal States are sent her, together with paroles taken by officers of the army apart from this office. A copy of the correspondence relating to the transfer of prisoners of war at Fredericksburg is also inclosed.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, m

J. P. KIMBALL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

HEADQUARTERS, near Fredericksburg, December 16, 1862.

GENERAL COMMANDING U. S. FORCES,
Opposite Fredericksburg.

SIR: I am authorized by General R. E. Lee, commanding Confederate forces, to express his desire that you send over to the late battle grounds and collect the bodies of such officers and soldiers as may be led there. He also desires me to express his willingness to parole and return to you the prisoners taken since your passage of the Rappahannock.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

JAMES LONGSTREET,

Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

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*Omitted.

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