who has orders to report to the Adjutant-General of the Army from Fort Monroe, and also from New York, if no orders are received before their arrival in the latter city. Three line officers that escaped from the railroad train en route to Charleston are sent with the other officers.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., August 4, 1864.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

Chief of Staff, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: The information given by your prisoners of war, now liberated, and by deserters, also by the late rebel papers, represent that our soldiers now prisoners at Andersonville, Ga., are destitute of comforts and necessaries, and are rapidly dying. The number of deaths per day varies, according to reports, from 30 to 70. I do not know that the wishes of the Government may be, but if it desire that our imprisoned soldiers may be exchanged, so as to relieve them from their distress, I can easily have the matter arranged with the Confederate authorities so as to effect an exchange here. The exchange can be made by way of the Savannah River, and we can easily arrange to guard any number of prisoners on our islands here, and to supply them at least as bountifully as our men supplied that are in the hands of the enemy.

I think the Confederate authorities are very desirous to have an exchange effected, both of officers and of men. The insecure position in which our prisoners have been confined probably causes this desire. They have already been obliged to remove our officers from Macon, and 600 of them have already arrived in Charleston and the others are to follow; this from its being the only secure place and the hope that it may induce to a still further advance.

I shall notify Major General Samuel Jones that no more exchanges will be made through Charleston Harbor, and that if any are authorized by the Government they will be made by the Savannah River. The effect of this is to induce them to remove our officers from Charleston to Savannah, so that our fire may be continued on the city without the risk of hurting our friends. I have, however, taken pains to ascertain where our prisoners were confined so as to direct the fire to the other parts.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., August 4, 1864.

Major General SAMUEL JONES,

Commanding Dept. S. C., Ga., and Fla., Charleston, S. C.:

GENERAL: I have received your letter of the 2nd instant, desiring that a permit to pass through our lines be given to Miss Mary A. Sparks. As a general rule all persons passing our lines into the