the provost-marshal of any post or district, shall be immediately taken charge of and guarded in a secure place by the provost-marshal of the district or post in which the boats are found.

II. All sailing boats, such as are now used between Hilton Head and Beaufort, shall be registered at the office of the provost-marshal of each district or post where said sail-boats ply. These boats must also have the regular permit to trade between those points. Said permit must contain the names of the crew and the purpose for which such boat is used. All boats of this description that have not been properly registered, in accordance with the provisions of this section of the order, within ten days after the date of the same, shall be immediately seized and confiscated to the U. S. Government.

III. The practice of allowing negro women to wander about from one plantation to another and from one post or district to another, on Government transports, for no other purpose than to while away their time or visit their husbands serving in the ranks of the army, is not only objectional in every point of view, both to the soldiers and to themselves, but is generally subversive of moral restraint, and must be discontinued at once. All negro women in future found wandering in this manner will be immediately arrested and compelled to work at some steady employment on the plantations.

By command of Major General J. G. Foster:

W. L. M. BURGER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., September 6, 1864.

Major General SAMUEL JONES,

Commanding Confederate Forces, Dept. of S. C., Ga., and Fla.:

GENERAL: I have carefully examined the list of 39 prisoners who were released by you as non-combatants on the 3rd instant, and can officially assure you that they occupy the position recognized by you on their discharge, with the following exceptions. I refer to these exceptions by the numbers given on the rolls exchanged between the officers who respectively represent us:

Numbers 2. Bates, H. B., First Massachusetts Cavalry.

Numbers 8. Crossman, J. J. H., McLaughlin's Squadron Ohio Cavalry.

Numbers 21. Russell, G. H., Fifth Indiana Cavalry.

Numbers 23. Sackett, L. M., Ninety-third Indiana Infantry.

Numbers 32. Whitney, B., One hundred and fourth Ohio Infantry.

Numbers 39. Higgins, J. D., One hundred and twenty-third Ohio Infantry.

Of these, Messrs. Bates, Crossman, Russell, and Sackett were acting assistant surgeons when captured, although they are mustered as hospital stewards in their respective commands. Hospital stewards are, however, recognized as non-combatants, and as these men were, besides, doing actual duty as surgeons, I have decided that their claim to be released is clear, although needing this explanation.

Rev. Mr. B. Whitney was, for several months before his captured, acting as chaplain of his regiment, in which he was, however, an enlisted man. He holds an appointment as chaplain, but has never been mustered as such. I retain him at this point until I can ascertain from you whether you still regard him as a non-combatant and entitled to release. If you do not, and require an equivalent for him, I will sent you a private in his stead.