adopt and carry out this principle of action or not and furnish me wioth his answer through the board of commisioners who may meet to consummate an exchange of prisoners on the 3rd isntant.

GID. J. PILLOW,

Brigadier-General, C. S. Army,

[Inclosure Numbers 2.]

HEADQUARTERS,
Bird's Point, Mo., September 2, 1861.

Colonel HICKS, Frontier Regiment Illinois Volunteers.

COLONEL: You will proceed to-morrow morning at 8. 30 o'clock with Major Nevis, Eleventh Regiment Illinois Volunteers, and Captain Noleman, Centralia cavalry, Captain Hotchkiss, acting assistant adjutant-general at this post, and an escort of thrirty mounted men and the prisoners (a list of whom will e furnished you) to Charleston with a flag of truce. At Charleston you will meet a similar party from General Pillow's accordance with the following instructions:

When you are reasonably satisfied that a person presented by the other party for echange is a soldier belonging to the U. S. Army you will echange for each such soldier "if a private" one of the prisoners sent with you who is a private; if an officer then an officer "of equal rank" will e exhanged. You will exhange for and receive the three men belonging to Captain Burrel's cavalry, whose names are Mattson Putnam, John Clark and Jonathan Doublin, and I desire that the prisoner Frank A. Gaydon be exchanged for one of these. Irregular Union men mustered as home guards who may hve been taken by the enemy in arms may be received in exchange for Missourians not mustered into the service of the Confederate States who have been taken in arms by the U. S. forces.

You will be particularly careful to do nothing which will create just cause for the charge of violating a flag of truce, and on the other hand you will enter into no negotiations on any subject beyond the actual exchange of prisoners at this time and place.

When the exchange is completed or as soon as it is apparent that it cannot be completed you will return with your party and the persons received in exhange and the unexchanged prisoners to this point and report to me.

Very respectfully, &c.,

W. H. L. WALLAGE,

Colonel, Commanding at Bird's Point.

[Inclosure Numbers 3.]

HEADQUARTERS,
Bird's Point, Mo., September 2, 1861.

General GIDEON J. PILLOW, New Madrid.

GENERAL: Your communication dated 31st ultimo is just received by the hand of Lieutenant Tuffs. I have designated the following-named officers who with an escort of thirty mounted men will meet a similar party from you command at Charleston to effect the exchange of prisoners agreed upon, viz: Colonel Hicks, Fortieth Regiment Illinois Volunteers; Major Nevis, Eleventh Regiment Illinois Volunteers; Captain Noleman, Certalia cavalry; associated with these is Captain C. T. Hotchkiss, acting assistant adjutant-general on my staff.