OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., June 8, 1863.

Surg. JOSEPH R. SMITH,

Acting Surgeon-General, Washington, D. C.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th instant making inquiries as to the probable number of sick rebel prisoners to be provided for at Fort Delaware and in reply I have to say that barracks for 8,000 or 10,000 prisoners are being erected there and a hospital corresponding in size will be built, but whether so large a number of prisoners will ever be collected there and how long they remain depends on circumstances which cannot be foreseen. If provision is made for the usual proportion of sick in 5,000 men for forty-five days I think you will have ample time to obtain any additional supplies that may be required.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., June 8, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. LUDLOW,

Agent for Exchange of Prisoners, Fort Monroe, Va.

COLONEL: I inclose herewith orders* announcing the proceedings of courts-martial by which spies have been sentenced to be executed. On Friday I mailed to you the orders directing the executions at Johnson's Island. I inclose also a newspaper slip+ giving an account of the recent executions at Johnson's Island, which will go to show that the whole proceedings were tempered with as much kind feelings as was consistent with a prompt and humane administration of justice. I have just received the inclosed communication+ addressed to Mrs. Rucker, from which it appears that her husband is to be released. I hope this may be so, and if it depends on us in any way that whatever is possible will be done at once to secure his return to his family.

On Saturday I was shown a copy of General Cooper's order announcing the last declaration of exchange which is more comprehensive than ours and I am quite sure is not according to your understanding with Mr. Ould. It says as well as I can recollect that all prisoners captured on the sea or waters flowing into the sea are exchanged, and all persons who have taken the oath of allegiance to the United States and given bond for loyal conduct or who have been released on parole under any circumstances are exchanged. I give only the substance of one or two sections. There are other features which I don't think you have agreed to. On the 3rd instant I requested you would obtain Mr. Ould's declaration so that I might understand how far it covers prisoners in our hands.

I inclose herewith a further list+ of deaths of prisoners of war in our hospitals, and I hope you will be able soon to obtain corresponding lists of deaths of our people in rebel hospitals. You will also find inclosed $40 Confederate money belonging to Major A. De Blanc, Eighth Louisiana Regiment, and $12 belonging to Lieutenant H. D. Verble, Fifty-seventh North Carolina, who have been delivered at City Point. The money was placed in the hands of Captain Camp, in charge of the

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*See General Orders, Numbers 114, p. 556.

+Not found.

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