HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA,
Fort Monroe, January 23, 1863.

Colonel WM. HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.:

The phrase "all captures on the sea" in the declaration of exchange does not cover citizens running the blockade but applies to persons captured in arms or hostile array against the United States.

Please so inform Mr. Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

WM. H. LUDLOW,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for the Exchange of Prisoners.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA,
Fort Monroe, January 23, 1863.

Honorable ROBERT OULD:

Permit me to call your attention to a point our exchanges which is operating (though probably unnoticed by you) with great unfairness.

At our last interview, and not anticipating such decisions as you have arrived at in reference to exchanges of U. S. officers, in order to facilitate our business I assented to the plan of exchanging by captures and reducing to equivalents in privates. The result now is that while I reduce to such equivalent all your officers captured at Fredericksburg who had been paroled and sent through the lines you retain all of our officers captured at the same place. Whatever action may be taken in violation of the cartel in reference to officers captured at Fredericksburg, they should be released on their parole. Will you please send me your decision on this point? The declaration of exchange of our officers and men paroled at Goldsborough, N. C., May 22, 1862, and delivered at Washington, N. C., was only intended to apply to even and not to the large capture referred to by you.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. LUDLOW,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for Exchange of Prisoners.

INDIANAPOLIS, IND., January 23, 1863.

Colonel WILLIAM HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.

COLONEL: In reply to your telegram of the 20th instant I have to reply that I have no means of obtaining accurately the number of patients in the rebel hospitals at La Fayette. I wrote to Doctor Chesnut to furnish me with the required information but he cannot state accurately. I inclose his reply just received.

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

H. W. FREEDLEY,

Captain, Third Infantry.

[Inclosure.]

LA FAYETTE, IND., January 22, 1863.

Captain FREEDLEY:

In answer to your communication of the 20th instant I have to state that the two regiments of rebel prisoners quartered at this place had been stationed at Bowling Green; were marched from there to Fort Donelson and were kept in the rifle-pits four days and nights before